Opinion ID: 1909990
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Use of Roof Deck

Text: At trial, Sobelshon testified that for approximately three months, he was unable to make full use of his roof deck [5] because ARMC had utilized it in two ways: first, to support scaffolding that was used to make repairs to the balconies on lower floors of the apartment building; and second, to store various types of construction equipment on it. Sobelsohn presented photographs of his roof deck that showed the construction and scaffolding equipment. [6] The trial court ruled that a provision of the lease giving the landlord a right of entry to the apartment authorized this utilization of the roof deck by ARMC. The relevant lease provision, headed Access by Landlord, read: Landlord has access to, and may enter the apartment of Tenant in order to inspect the apartment, make necessary or agreed-to repairs, alterations or improvements, perform pest exterminations, supply necessary or agreed services; and to exhibit the apartment to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, lessees, workmen, contractors, or other proper persons as so designated by Landlord. Landlord agrees to give prior notice when possible and enter at reasonable times, except in cases of emergency or abandonment, or when a work request has been issued by the Tenant. As Javins indicates, leases of real property are to be construed as contracts. Capital City Mortgage Corp. v. Habana Village Art & Folklore, Inc., 747 A.2d 564, 567 (D.C.2000) (citations omitted). This jurisdiction adheres to an objective law of contracts, meaning that the written language embodying the terms of an agreement will govern the rights and liabilities of the parties . . . unless the written language is not susceptible of a clear and definite undertaking. . . . DSP Venture Group, Inc. v. Allen, 830 A.2d 850, 852 (D.C.2003) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). [7] Contractual language is ambiguous if it is susceptible to more than one reasonable interpretation. . . . The general rule for contract interpretation is that if a contract is determined by the court to be ambiguous, then external evidence may be admitted to explain the surrounding circumstances and the position and actions of the parties at the time of contracting. The ultimate interpretation then becomes a question for the finder of fact. Rivers & Bryan, Inc. v. HBE Corp., 628 A.2d 631, 635 (D.C. 1993) (citing Howard Univ. v. Best, 484 A.2d 958, 966-67 (D.C.1984); Rich v. Sills, 130 A.2d 920, 922 (D.C.1957)). Here, we think the trial court reasonably found that the apartment mentioned in the provision included the private roof deck, which appears to have been an integral subject of the lease agreement. We also agree that the provision can be read in the context of the apartment being a component unit of a large integrated structure, and that the repairs, alterations, or improvements referred to are not confined to repairs of the immediate apartment itself. But the provision also limits itself to what is necessary or agreed-to, a concept that, along with reasonableness, permeates all aspects of the provision. Thus, to rely upon this provision to authorize its use of the roof deck, ARMC was obligated to show that the use of the roof deck to secure the scaffolding was reasonably necessary in order to repair the lower-floor balconies. Likewise, ARMC was obligated to show that the use of the roof deck to store the construction equipment was a reasonable necessity in the repair work. Sobelsohn fairly asserts that the trial record is essentially barren of such evidence. [8] The key concept is that a tenant in a multi-unit apartment building can expect intrusions of reasonable duration on his premises when reasonably required to maintain the building as a whole. Indeed, such a right in the landlord may well exist in certain circumstances even in the absence of a lease provision. See Dunnington v. Thomas E. Jarrell Co., 96 A.2d 274 (D.C.1953) (landlord had implied right to re-enter premises to make necessary repairs in a rent-controlled building). As with other contracts, a residential lease must be interpreted to carry out the reasonable expectations of the parties. To the extent that ARMC's intrusions here were reasonably necessary to the completion of needed repairs to the lower-floor balconies and did not unreasonably interfere with the use of the roof deck by Sobelsohn, they were authorized by the lease. However, unless authorized by the express or implied terms of the leasehold arrangement, the traditional common-law view that a lease is a conveyance of the possessory interest that the landlord may not invade without breaching the covenant of quiet enjoyment retains its relevance. That covenant, embodied in the above-cited § 6.1 of the RESTATEMENT OF PROPERTY, continues to be implied in residential leases, albeit not necessarily with the technical baggage that accompanied it at common law. Hence, Sobelsohn would be entitled to damages from ARMC for any unnecessary or unreasonable use that it made of the roof deck. [9] We conclude that Sobelsohn is entitled to a new trial in which all parties are afforded the opportunity to present the full range of evidence in light of the legal principles set forth above. The judgment of the trial court is therefore reversed and the case remanded for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion. [10] Reversed and remanded.