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Landlord and Tenant Law Supreme Court Slip Opinion

by Zigadto, Janet

 

SC20395 - Boardwalk Realty Associates, LLC v. M & S Gateway Associates, LLC (Receiver of rents; whether trial court correctly held that receiver of rents appointed under § 12-163a is not authorized to collect rent or use and occupancy payments from occupants of property when owner of property is not charging rent; "This appeal is the most recent battle in the efforts of the town of Canton (town) to collect unpaid property taxes on a parcel of commercial real property (property) that was effectively abandoned in 2001 by its owner, Cadle Properties of Connecticut, Inc. (Cadle), and on which the defendants, M & S Gateway Associates, LLC (Gateway) and Mitchell Volkswagen, LLC (Mitchell), have operated an automobile dealership since 1995. The plaintiff, Boardwalk Realty Associates, LLC, which is the court-appointed receiver of rents pursuant to General Statutes § 12-163a, appeals from the trial court's judgment, rendered in accordance with the court's granting of the defendants' motion for summary judgment with respect to the plaintiff's complaint seeking rent, as well as use and occupancy payments, from the defendants. On appeal, the plaintiff contends that the trial court incorrectly concluded that the plaintiff lacked authority under § 12-163a to impose and collect rent or use and occupancy payments in the place of Cadle, the tax delinquent owner that effectively abandoned the property in 2001. We conclude that a receiver appointed under § 12-163a is not statutorily authorized to impose and collect rent or use and occupancy payments under the circumstances of this case, when the property has been abandoned by the owner prior to the appointment of the receiver and there is no existing obligation for the receiver to enforce. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.")