Landlord wins damages after suicide

By Wang Chun-chung and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer





The parents of a 30-year-old woman who committed suicide in her rented apartment must pay the landlord NT$2.86 million (US$95,219) in compensatory damages, the Tainan District Court has ruled.

The plaintiff, surnamed Hsieh (謝), said that as an adult, the deceased, surnamed Yang (楊) should have known that committing suicide in a rented home would turn the property into a haunted house, making it difficult to lease or sell.

Hsieh accused Yang of committing suicide in the apartment on purpose, so she should bear responsibility for compensating her for her losses, but since Yang was dead, she could only seek compensation from the woman’s parents.

Hsieh said she had NT$238,715 in losses from the early termination of contracts, as well as NT$2.3 million in depreciated real-estate value.

Yang’s parents said that their daughter’s suicide had not been a “purposeful action,” and that it taking place in a rental unit was an “oversight,” so Hsieh had no cause to demand compensation.

Hsieh’s rental units on the rooftop of a building are illegal constructions and would have no value once they were demolished, so she would not suffer a real-estate loss in the wake of their daughter’s suicide, the parents said.

However, the court ruled that as Yang was an adult and should have been conscious that her actions would make the rental unit a haunted house, there was cause to consider that Yang’s actions had indirect intent.

Whether Hsieh’s rental units were illegal constructions did not affect the question of Yang’s suicide causing a depreciation their real estate value, the judges said.

As Yang’s parents are her legal successors and they had not waived their right of succession, they should shoulder the responsibility of compensating Hsieh, the judges said.

Hsieh’s claims for compensation were based on estimates made by professional realtors, and so they decided the defendants should pay her NT$2.86 million.

The ruling, which was issued on Jan. 7, can be appealed.