Real Property (Landlord-Tenant Law)

• 1. Tenancy for Years
• 2. Period Tenancy
• 3. Tenancy at Will
• 4. Tenancy at Sufferance

• aka Estate for Years or Term of Years
• This is a lease for a fixed period of time, which period could be one day, two months, 50 years. When you know the termination date from the start, you have the tenancy for years.
• Because a term of years states from the outset when it will terminate no notice is needed to terminate.
• A term of years greater than one year must be in writing to be enforceable because of the Statute of Frauds.

• This is a lease which continueds for sucessive intervals until Landlord or Tenant gives notice to terminate
• The periodic tenancy can be created expressly. For example, L conveys to T from month to month or year to year or week to week
• The periodic tenancy can also arise by implication (see next card)

• 1. Land is leased with no mention of duration, but provision is made for payment of rent at set intervals
• 2. An oral term of years in violation of the Statute of Frauds creates an implied periodic tenancy measured by the way rent is tendered.
• If L and T negotiate and orally agree to a 5-year lease at $1000/month, this is not a tenancy for years because it violates the Statute of Frauds. If T sends L a check for $1000 and L accepts it, T's first rental payment renders his interest an implied periodic tenancy with the intervals based on the way rent is tendered
• 3. The holdover: In a residential lease, if L elects to hold over a T who has wrongfully stayed on past the conclusion of the original lease an implied periodic tenancy arises measured by the way rent is now tendered.

• Notice must be given, usually written.
• Common law notice: at least equal to the length of the period itself unless otherwise agreed.
• month-to-month: one month's notice (same in VA)
• week-to-week: one week's notice (same in VA)
• Exception: year-to-year or greater:
• comon law: six month's notice
• VA: three month's notice (by statute)
• Parties may lengthen or shorten by private agreement.
• The periodic tenancy must end at the conclusion of a natural lease period.

• This is a tenancy for no fixed duration.
• For example, "To T for as long as L or T desires."
• Unless the parties expressly agreeto a tenancy at will, the payment of regular rent will cause a court to treat this as an implied periodic tenancy (becoming rare)
• The tenancy at will may be terminated by either party at any time but a reasonable demand to vacate is usually needed

• Created when T has wrongfully held over past the expiration of the lease. We give this wrongdoer a leasehold estate to permit L to collect rent.
• The tenancy at sufferance lasts only until L either evicts T or elects to hold T to a new tenancy

• 1. T's liability to 3d parties
• 2. T's duty to repair
• 3. T's duty to pay rent

• T is responsible for keeping the premises in reasonably good repair.
• T is liable for injuries sustained by 3d parties T invited even where L expressly promised to make all repairs.

• T must maintain the premises and make ordinary repairs
• T must not commit waste (voluntary, permissive, ameliorative)
• T's duty to repair when T has expreslly covenanted in the least to maintain the property in good condition for the duration of the lease:
• Common law: T was liable for any loss to the property including loss due to force of nature
• Majority view: T may terminate the lease when premises are destroyed without T's fault

• When a tenant removes a fixture he commits voluntary waste
• A fixture is a once movable chattel that, by virtue of its annexation to realty objectively shows the intent to permanently improve the realty.
• Examples: heating systems, furnace, lighting installations, storm windows
• T MUST NOT REMOVE A FIXTURE NO MATTER THAT SHE INSTALLED IT (may replace with what was there at beginning of lease)
• FIXTURES PASS WITH OWNERSHIP OF LAND
• Testing whether T's installation = fixture
• 1. Express agreement b/t L and T is binding and controls
• 2. In the absence of agreement, T may remove a chattel that she has installed so long as removal does not cause substantial harm to the premises
• 3. If removal will cause substantial damage, then in objective judgment T has shown the intent to install a fixture

• 1. If T breaches this duty and is in possession of the premises: L's only options are to evict through courts or continue the relationship and sue for rent due. If L moves to evict, she is nonetheless entitled to rent from T until T, who is now a T at sufferance, vacates.
• LANDLORD MUST NOT ENGAGE IN SELF HELP, such as changing the locks or forcibly removing T, or removing any of T's possessions; Self-help is flatly outlawed and is punishable civilly and criminally
• 2. T breaches this duty but is out of possession: SIR
• -Surrender: L could choose to treat T's abandonment as an implicit offer of surrender which L accpets; that is, T shows by words or actions that she wants to give up the lease. If the unexpired term is greater than one year surrender must be in writing.
• -Ignore: the abandonment and hold T responsible for unpaid rent just as if T were still there. This option is available only in a minority of states
• -Relet: the premises on the wrongdoer tenant's behalf, and hold him or her liable for any deficiency. Majority rule: L must try to relet, mitigate.

• 1. Duty to deliver possession
• 2. Implied covenant of quiet enjoyment
• 3. Implied warranty of habitability
• 4. Retaliatory eviction

• English/majority rules: L put T in physical possession of the premises. If at the start of T's lease a prior holdover T is still in possession, L has breached and the new T gets damages
• American/minority rule: L need only provide T with legal possession and not physical possession

• Applies to both residential and commercial leases.
• T has a right to quiet use and enjoyment of the premises without interference from L.

Occurs when L wrongfully evicts T or excludes T from the premises

• SING (like Dido when her apartment floods)
• Substantial Interference: due to L's actions or failure to act. Not necessarily permanent but must be chronic.
• Notice: T must notify L of the problem and L must fail to act meaningfully/responsibly.
• Goodbye: T must vacate w/in a reasonable time after L fails to fix the problem.

• L is not liable for acts of other T's
• BUT
• 1. L must not permit a nuisance on site
• 2. L must control common areas

• Applies only to residential leases (not commercial)
• Non-waivable
• The premises must be fit for basic human living, meaning bare living requirements must be met. Standard may be supplied by housing code or case law.
• Examples - no heat in winter, no plumbing, no running water
• T's entitlements when the implied warranty of habitability is breached: MR3
• M: move out and terminate the lease (not required)
• R: repair and deduct, only reasonable
• R: reduce rent or withhold all rent until the court determines fair rental value; escrow account to show good faith
• R: remain in possession, pay rent and affirmatively seek money damages

• If T lawfully reports L for housing code violations, L is barred from penalizing T, by, for example, raising rent or ending the lease or hasrassing T or taking other reprisals
• This is T's protective device

• T may freely transfer interest in whole (assignment) or in part (sublease).
• In lease, L can prohibit T from assigning or subletting w/out L's prior written approval.
• But once L consents to one transfer by T, L waives the right to object to future transfers by that T, unless L reserves the right.

• T1 to T2 = privity of estate
• So L and T2 are liable to each other for all of the covenants in the original lease that "run with the land"
• examples - promise to pay rent, to paint, to repair
• L and T2 are not in privity of contract unless T2 assumed all promises in the original lease
• L and T1 are no longer in privity of estate; but they remain in privity of contract.
• Thus, L and T1 are secondarily liable to each other.

L and sublessee (T2) are in neither privity of estate nor privity of contract. T2 liable to T1 and vice versa.

• Common law: caveat lessee
• for tort - L was under no duty to make the premises safe
• Exceptions: CLAPS
• Common areas: hallways and stairwells
• Latent defects rule: L must warn T of hidden defects that L knows about or should know about (duty to warn, not repair)
• Assumption of repairs: L who voluntarily makes repairs must complete them with reasonable care
• Public use rule: L who leases public space and who should know, b/c of the nature of the defect and the length of the lease that T will not repair, is liable for defects on premises
• Short term lease of furnished dwelling: L is liable for any defect that proximately harms T