As property manager of a 15-unit apartment block, you receive rent payments on the first of every month from each tenant. Mrs. Lone, in apartment 105, whose rent is $500 per month, lost her job and was in dire financial difficulties. You agreed to take only $400 per month. For the last ten months, she has paid only $400 a month, but you have learned that for 4 months she has had a new and even better-paying job. You are angry that she failed to tell you this and you want to sue her for the entire amount of back rent ($1000). Which of the following arguments could she use most effectively against you?
A) Promissory estoppel
B) Mistake
C) Undue influence
D) Breach of contract
E) Duress

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Promissory estoppel is the most effective argument Mrs. Lone could use against the property manager. This legal principle prevents the promisor from going back on a promise when the promisee has reasonably relied on that promise to their detriment. In this case, Mrs. Lone could argue that she relied on the property manager's promise to accept $400 instead of $500 for her rent, and she has acted based on that promise by paying the reduced amount for ten months.

As Property Manager of a 15-Unit Apartment Block, You Receive