Except under certain circumstances and subject to certain conditions, a landlord generally may not interrupt utilities provided to a residential tenant—such as electricity, gas, water, sewer, internet, telephone, cable television, security systems, and in some areas, trash collection—unless the interruption results from bona fide repairs, construction, or an emergency.

A landlord generally may not shut off utilities to a residential tenant because the tenant is late in paying for the utilities. Laws vary from state to state, and laws related to a landlord’s interruption of a residential tenant’s utility services are usually located in a state’s statutes.

In Ohio, landlords are prohibited from intentionally interrupting a tenant's utilities as a form of eviction or to force a tenant to leave the rental property. This includes utilities such as electricity, gas, water, sewer, internet, telephone, cable television, and security systems. Ohio Revised Code Section 5321.15 specifically states that no landlord shall purposely cause the termination of any of a tenant's utility services, except for temporary interruptions for emergency repairs or construction. If a landlord unlawfully interrupts a tenant's utility services, the tenant may seek remedies such as recovering damages, obtaining injunctive relief to restore the services, and potentially recovering attorney's fees. It is important to note that these protections do not apply if the utility interruption is due to a tenant's failure to pay their utility bills directly to the utility company.