Buschman Co. v. Garfield Realty Co.
Buschman Co. v. Garfield Realty Co.
Opinion of the Court
The written lease entered into between the parties in this case expired on the 31st day of July, 1915. It is admitted that defendant in error, on the 11th day of May, 1915, notified plaintiff in error that it desired possession of the premises occupied by it on the 11th day of August, 1915. It appears from the record that plaintiff in error occupied the premises until August 14, 1915. The municipal court made a finding against plaintiff in error on account of the use and occupancy of the premises during the period
But assuming that a parol agreement had been made by the parties in April, 1915, it is uncontroverted that on May 11, 1915, the tenant was notified by the landlord that it desired possession of the premises on August 11, 1915. This is certainly inconsistent with the claim that the landlord assented to and acquiesced in the continued possession of the tenant after the expiration of the written lease in pursuance of the oral agreement. The establishment of this fact is necessary before a tenant can avail himself of the terms of a parol agreement such as is claimed to have been made in this case. Not only could the trial court have found that there was no acquiescence, but also that there was a repudiation of the agreement by the landlord, if any agreement was made. As was said in the opinion in Bumiller v. Walker, supra, either party may repudiate his own agreement be
While counsel for plaintiff in error in their pleading in the municipal court based their claim for damages solely upon the breach of the parol agreement alleged to have been made in April, 1915, yet in oral argument and in their briefs filed in this court they suggest that if plaintiff in error was not a tenant for eight months under the parol agreement, it nevertheless became a tenant from year to year by holding over after July 31, 1915, and was therefore wrongfully evicted from the premises in August of that year. The right to hold for another year after the expiration of the term of a written lease requires the assent of the landlord, either express or implied. By remaining in possession without any new arrangement the tenant is regarded as offering to take the premises for another year upon the terms of the tenancy which has just expired. The landlord may treat him as a tenant for a year at the same rent, upon the same terms and conditions of his prior occupancy, or as a trespasser, at his election. But if the landlord accepts rent or acquiesces in such holding over for a considerable time, his election will be regarded as made in favor of the tenancy. Gladwell v. Holcomb et al., 60 Ohio St., 427, and B. & O. Rd. Co. v. West, 57 Ohio St., 161.
But in the instant case there was no acceptance of rent by the landlord, and it is admitted that on the 7th day of August, 1915, seven days after the expiration' of the written lease, the landlord gave to the tenant notice to quit the premises as required
Our conclusion therefore is that there was no right on the part of plaintiff in error to continue in the possession of the premises, either for eight months, under a parol agreement, or for another year after the expiration of the written lease, on account of a holding over. It follows then that there was no wrongful eviction and the trial court was correct in refusing to consider any claim for damages.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.