Bell House v. Wilkins

1. A tenant’s covenant to keep the rented premises in repair absolves the landlord from his statutory duty to make repairs. .

2. A covenant to keep “the premises” in “repair” has reference to the condition of the premises as an entity, and not to the condition of any component part of the premises. It follows, therefore, that any upkeep, including, if necessary, an entire replacement of a component part of a building upon the rented premises—as, for instance, a furnace— which is necessary to a preservation of the premises in their entirety in the same condition as to tenantability as. they…