SY-LENE OF WASHINGTON, INC. v. STARWOOD URBAN RETAIL II, LLC, 376 Md. 157

Summary

A tenant that rented space in a shopping center signed a lease which provided that it would pay the landlord $ 30 per month for each employee parking space, but allowed the landlord to limit the number of parking spaces it provided. After a new landlord purchased the shopping center, it refused to provide employee parking spaces at a cost of $ 30 per month, and charged the tenant as much as $ 85 per month for each parking space. When the landlord cancelled that arrangement and informed the tenant that the only parking available would be daily parking at a cost of $ 8 per day, the tenant filed suit, seeking a declaration that its lease required the landlord to provide it with at least 10 employee parking spaces at the reduced rate. The state supreme court held that (1) the landlord's right to limit the number of parking spaces did not permit it to reduce that number to zero, and the trial court erred by finding that the landlord did not have an obligation to provide any parking spaces ...