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, long-term 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. 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.
Discuss the rights and responsibilities of the landlord and the tenant in which you: Explore the legal rights and responsibilities of the tenant and the landlord.
Decide whether or not the landlord and / or the tenant had a legal duty to mitigate damages. Determine whether or not Larry has legal grounds to evict Roger. Explain why or why not.
Describe whether or not Roger has a legal obligation to pay for the damage he caused and determine whether or not Larry would be liable for any direct damage. Support each response with facts presented in the scenario. Use proper legal terminology throughout your responses.