Tenant Responsible for Landlord’s Property Removal Costs

What Happened: A landlord sued a warehouse tenant for unpaid rent and the $9,000 it spent to remove the seven trailers, two tractors, two refrigerators, two pianos, furniture, and other property the tenant left behind after being evicted. While admitting liability for the rent, the tenant denied responsibility for the landlord’s removal costs. The lease didn’t say anything about the tenant’s having to pay the landlord’s costs of removing abandoned property, it argued. And since the landlord drafted the lease, that ambiguity should count against it.