McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- Citation
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- Parent Document
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- Jurisdiction
- Massachusetts (state)
- Effective Date
- 1977-05-11
- Original Source
- https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2079709/mckenna-v-begin/ ↗
Other Sections in This Document (55)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
- McKenna v. Begin, 362 N.E.2d 548 (1977)
Full Text
1,713 charsBrown, J. (concurring). I concur with the majority that in general it is appropriate to remand cases involving breaches of the warranty of habitability to the Superior Court to allow it to determine the portion of rent to be rebated to the tenant. However, it seems to me that under the reasoning of Boston Housing Authy. v. Hemingway, *313363 Mass. 184 (1973), the rental value of the unit must be zero when the board of health condemns the apartment. In the Hemingway case the Supreme Judicial Court recognized that in an urban society “the essential objective of the leasing transaction is to provide a dwelling suitable for habitation.” 363 Mass. at 196-197. The delivery of an apartment in habitable condition is the consideration for payment of rent. As the promise to pay rent and the promise to maintain the apartment in a habitable condition are mutual and interdependent covenants, the breach of the warranty of habitability is “a partial or complete defense to the landlord’s claim for rent owed for the period when the dwelling was in uninhabitable condition and the landlord or his agent had written or oral notice of the defects” (emphasis added). 363 Mass. at 202-203. The court in Hemingway explicitly recognized the possibility of a rental value of zero: “If the tenant elects to stay on until the end of the term and the landlord makes no repairs, the tenant will be liable for the reasonable value, if any, of his use of the premises for the time he remains in possession” (emphasis added). 363 Mass. at 202. See also McKenna v. Begin, 3 Mass. App. Ct. 168, 171-172 (1975) (“it is possible, in a given instance, for substantial defects to reduce the fair rental value of the premises to zero”).