Neihaus v. Maxwell

The plaintiff, Alexander Neihaus, rented his single family house to the defendants, Mitchell and Tiffani Maxwell, for $2,450 per month, under a written lease covering the period *559from September 1, 1997, to August 31, 1998. What began as a mutually convenient arrangement — Neihaus had a one-year overseas job assignment, and the Maxwells needed temporary housing while their new home was under construction — degenerated into litigation when the Maxwells refused to vacate the house after Neihaus’s return and the expiration of the lease term.

On September 25, 1998, Neihaus brought a summary process…