Landlord v. Tenant: Commercial Lease Repair Obligations (Roof and Facade)

A landlord sued a tenant for damages, alleging the tenant had failed to maintain the leased commercial premises as required by the lease agreement, specifically concerning necessary repairs to the roof and facade which were the tenant's responsibility under the contract, and the tenant counterclaimed for reimbursement of repairs they had undertaken. The court of appeal reversed the initial judgment, holding the landlord responsible for the exterior structure's deterioration, finding that the lease clauses obligating the tenant to maintain the roof and facade did not explicitly include structural repairs necessary due to wear and tear or age, which remained the landlord's legal obligation, thus leading to the cassation of the appellate decision which incorrectly shifted the burden for structural maintenance to the tenant based on ambiguous contractual terms.