Paper details
Larry Landlord has recently renovated an apartment and has put it on the market to be rented for $800.00 a month. Larry
Landlord has been in business for approximately five (5) years and has had both positive and negative experiences with
tenants. Larry Landlord is hoping to find a good, longterm
tenant for his apartment. Roger Renter saw Larry’s sign for the
apartment for rent and thought the location and the apartment would be perfect. Roger met Larry to look at the apartment
and Roger fell in love with it. All of the interior fixtures had been replaced and the unit had a nice large closet. Roger
noticed that although newly painted, the exterior of the apartment did show a little bit of wear. Because of the condition of
the exterior of the building, Roger asked Larry about any roof leaks. Larry stated that he had never had a leak and was not
aware of any leaks.
Roger and Larry entered into a valid contract for the rental of the apartment. (Note: The issue of whether or not a contract
exists is NOT part of this question. For purposes of this question assume the contract is valid and there are no issues with
the contract.)
Roger Renter was very happy in his new location; the apartment was quiet and the neighbors were friendly. Larry Landlord
was also very happy because Roger Renter was a model tenant. Roger Renter paid on time and was quiet and respectful
to other tenants.
The part of the country where Roger rented was rainy in the summertime. Roger rented and moved into the apartment in
October. In June, a tremendous rainstorm occurred and Roger’s roof began to leak. The leak was minor at first and Roger
merely put a trash can under the leak and had no other issues that month. When handing over his monthly rent check,
Roger told Larry about the small leak. Larry thanked Roger for letting him know about the leak and told Roger he would
have it fixed.
The next month the rains came again and the leak grew larger in Roger’s apartment. Roger was not home at the time of the
rain and therefore the leak damaged some of Roger’s furniture. Roger called Larry to let him know that there was a leak
and asked when it might be fixed. Roger also stated that he thought Larry had fixed the roof. Larry curtly stated, “When it
rains, sometimes it pours. When it pours, sometimes it leaks.” Roger did not like Larry’s tone or response and called back to
ask when the roof might be fixed. Larry stated, “When I get to it.” The following day, Roger sent Larry a note about the roof
leak and asked Larry to please address the issue.
