Location: Cincinnati, OH

Hey everyone, I’m in a weird spot with a Cincinnati landlord and could use some eyes on my situation. I’m moving out April 30th and my landlord feels entitled to my security deposit because I’m breaking a 12-month lease. However, looking at the "lease" in Dotloop, I’m not sure it’s even valid.

The Technical Issues (The "Lease" is a mess):

• Missing Signatures: I signed/initialed everything, but the Lessor (landlord) signature line is completely blank.
• Missing Initials: Every single page has a "Lessor Initial" box that is empty.
• Blank Fields: Paragraph 1(C) (the clause about liability for moving out early) has a blank space where the date is supposed to be.
• Conflicting Dates: The "Term" section literally lists the start date as both 11/30/2026 and 12/13/2025 in the same paragraph. It also lists two different LLCs as the "Lessor."

The Habitability Issue: I work from home, and my place has a rodent issue. While the landlord sealed one entry point, the office still reeks of mouse urine. It’s so strong I’ve been getting persistent headaches while working, effectively making the office unusable.

The "Mitigation" Factor: We’ve already agreed on an April 30th move-out, and the landlord even told me (I have a recording) that he’ll have "no problem finding a new tenant" because he’s already listed the unit for $300/month more than what I’m paying.

My Argument:

1. Under Ohio Revised Code § 1335.04, since he never signed the lease, this is legally a month-to-month tenancy. My 30-day notice for April 30th should be all that's required.
2. Even if it was valid, the urine smell/headaches are a breach of the Warranty of Habitability (ORC § 5321.04).
3. He can't claim "damages" for lost rent if he’s intentionally hiking the price by $400, which makes it harder to rent.

Admittedly I've been trying to just use AI sources to help me bolster my argument, but does this sound like enough to demand my full $1,900 deposit back? Has anyone in Ohio dealt with a "defectively executed" lease before? I would appreciate some confidence that the one year lease is not valid with the technical issues present.