Sowle v. Johnson
Sowle v. Johnson
Opinion of the Court
On January 30, 1917, Cassie A. Rhodes, in writing, leased to the appellants certain lands in Yakima county for a term beginning on that date and ending March 1, 1920. The lease provided that the rent should he payable: $200 on December 1, 1917; $350 on December 1, 1918; and $350 on December 1, 1919, and further provided: “that, in the event the second party shall not he able to market his crops at advantageous prices prior to said date, then, and in that event, said rent need not be paid until February 1, following.” The lease also provided that Mrs. Rhodes should “see that water is delivered on two of the highest points on said premises.” In December, 1916, Mrs. Rhodes had contracted with one Lichty to give him entire charge of farming operations and improvements made upon the land, and he was the person who, as Mrs. Rhodes’ agent, negotiated the lease with the appellants. In order to farm the land it was necessary to construct a pipe line to comply with the provision in the lease which we have quoted. After appellants’ lease had been executed, a six-inch pipe line was constructed to carry the water to the leased land and also to supply water for an adjoining owner named Holt. An agreement was entered into between Mrs. Rhodes and Holt whereby Holt was to pay 3/14ths and Mrs. Rhodes ll/14ths of the cost of construction.
In January, 1918, Mrs. Rhodes sold the property to respondent, who informed Lichty of his ownership of the property and terminated the agency which Lichty had theretofore had from Mrs. Rhodes. Respondent also informed the appellants that he was the owner of the land. Subsequent to this time the appellants and Holt undertook a reconstruction of the pipe line so that the Holt land would he better served by a water supply. The matter of this reconstruction was
The first point raised by the appellants is that, as the lease provided that they might have until February 1, 1919, to pay the rent if they could not prior to that time sell their crops advantageously, the notice to quit and suit were premature; that subdivision 3 of §812, Rem. Code, provides for notice to'quit only after default in the payment of rent, and that there had been no default. The lease contained, as we have seen, an option for an extension of the time of the payment of the rent until February 1, 1919, but the appellants, in their answer, pléaded and tendered the rent which they considered due and owing, that is, the sum of $241, prior to the commencement of the action, and renewed the tender by bringing the amount into court. By this act they admitted the rent was then due and owing and waived the option to pay on Feb
Some claim is made that the notice to quit was defective in that it contained Mrs. Rhodes’ name as well as the name of the respondent. As we view the notice, it was sufficient and correct.
Error is also assigned upon the court’s refusal to permit testimony by the appellants as to conversations between them and Mrs. Rhodes as to Lichty’s author
Finally, it is argued that the appellants suffered a partial eviction by reason that the pipe line, as originally built, was not adequate to deliver sufficient water to the premises. The answer to this lies in the fact that the partial eviction, if there had been one, occurred in the year 1917, for which year the rent was paid on the due date without question, and there is no claim of any partial eviction in 1918, the rent for which is the subject of this litigation, nor was the partial eviction pleaded as a defense and is for the first time raised in this court.
An examination of the entire record satisfies this court that the judgment should be affirmed, and it is so ordered.
Holcomb, C. J., Main, Parker, and Mitchell, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- E. C. Sowle v. F. F. Johnson
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Landlord and Tenant (129, 135)—Unlawful Detainer—Defenses —Waiver by Tender—Time for Serving Notice. Tender of the amount admitted to be due for rent prior to the commencement of an action for unlawful detainer, renewed by bringing the tender into court, waives the tenant’s option in the lease for an extension of time to pay rent, and precludes the defense that the rent was not due and the notice to quit premature. Same (66)—Improvements by Tenant — Liability of Lessor. Where a. pipe line constructed by the lessor was in compliance with the terms of the contract to deliver water on two of the highest points of the land, the tenant is not entitled to a credit upon his rent for the cost of reconstruction to better the service, incurred by him without authority from the lessor. Principal and Agent (39)-—Authority of Agent—Admissibility of Evidence. It is not error to exclude evidence of conversations as to an agent’s authority to bind a lessor by an agreement- respecting improvements, where his authority as an agent had been terminated and he had informed appellants that the lessor refused to do anything in regard to the matter. Landlord and Tenant (89)—Eviction — Waiver — Payment of Rent. In unlawful detainer a partial eviction in the preceding year is waived by the payment of rent on the due date without question. Appeal (375)—Review—Matters Not Before Lower Court. Defendants in unlawful detainer not having pleaded an eviction as a defense, cannot raise the objection for the first time in the supreme court.