LANDLORD AND TENANT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2653, 1 November 1923, Page 2

LANDLORD AND TENANT.

OLATM FOR ADJUSTMENT OF RENT. . AFTER VACATI.Vi PREMISES. Wellington, Yesterday. A point that will be of great intcrest both to lanu.. rds and tenants throughout N( w Zealand was discussed during the hearing of a case before Mr E. Page, S.M. The facts were that a cl. Jim for arrears of' rent was made by a landlord against a tenant who bad vacated the premises. When the tenant was served with a summons, she served plaintiff'with an application to determine the capital value of the premises under the War Regulation Acts, the object being to arrive at the standard rent, which, the tenant claimed, was an amount less than that claimed.

Mr Meltzer, counsel for the plaintiff, submitted that under the war legislation the tenant lmd no power to make such an application, that she had vacated the premises and was, therefore, not a tenant at the time the application was made. The Magistrate remarked that this was the first ease of the kind in Wellington. Although he felt that the defendant had a right to have a standard rent text'd, he would not undertake to decide the point raised by Mr Meltzer, which certainly seemed to have some foundation. The position, therefore, has not yet been decided whether a per-' son who has vacated'a house retains the, power to make application to the Magistrate to determine the capital value.