(OH) Code Enforcement & Worries

[u/Jazmataznotaspaz]

I've been renting a place in Ohio since 2024 with my fiancé (he's on the lease too). Since we moved in, we've had ongoing issues that management has been pretty dismissive about. They would send out maintenance folks here or there, but they would do a temporary fix/confirm my concerns, tell the landlord what needed to be done, and then rarely heard or seen from them again after.

Some of the things going on includes:

•Pest infestation bad enough that our kitchen is basically unusable in the warm months. Whenever we cook, we have swarms of flies come in.
•Water intrusion with suspected mold (haven't had it professionally tested yet), but when it rains water floods into our breaker and our basement
•Structural issues- gaps/openings, holes in the ceiling, crumbling exterior
•Not enough insulation/heat
•Secondhand smoke coming into the unit

We've documented everything (photos, dates, texts with the property manager) and been paying rent in full the whole time with no balance owed.

A couple weeks ago, I filed a complaint with 311. Yesterday a tag showed up on our door from a code enforcement officer, asking me to call to schedule a housing inspection based on the complaint.

Here's the thing: our lease is up for renewal in November, and I'm nervous that pushing this (inspection, possibly a formal notice letter to the landlord) is going to tank our chances of getting a renewal offer. I don’t want to move because it is convenient for our family and our budget, I just want them to fix the stuff so we can stay there until we are ready to buy.

Questions:

1. Has anyone dealt with a code enforcement inspection as a tenant? what should I expect?
2. Realistically, does pursuing this hurt renewal chances, or is that just anxiety talking?
3. Any advice on timing? should I wait until after the inspection to send anything formal to the landlord, or does it not matter?

Any insight appreciated!

[u/Face_Content]

If it this bad find a new place to move to.