Do George and Mary have a case? What are their strongest legal arguments? Explain.

George and Mary have a case for negligence against their landlord. According to the law, landlords must provide safe living conditions for tenants and must take reasonable steps to ensure that any hazardous conditions are fixed. In this case, George and Mary’s landlord has failed to properly maintain their apartment by not taking action when they notified him of the leak in the ceiling.

The strongest legal argument that George and Mary have is breach of contract. While it may not be a direct contract between them and their landlord, it can be argued that an implied agreement was made when they moved into the property; specifically that if they paid rent then their landlord would provide them with safe accommodations. By allowing hazardous conditions such as moldy ceilings to exist without taking corrective measures, the landlord has breached what could be argued as an implied agreement which should entitle George and Mary for some type of compensation for damages incurred due to this breach (such as medical bills).

The second legal argument available to George and Mary is negligence. It is up to landlords to provide a habitable environment free from any dangerous or unhealthy living conditions; when issues arise it is expected that landlords will address these matters promptly in order protect tenants from potential harm or financial losses. As such, it could also be argued that inaction on behalf of the landlord constitutes negligence which leaves them liable for any damages endured by George and Mary resulting from said negligence (such as expenses related to medical care).