Flat

When used as a description of anything respecting an arm of the sea, it means a level place over which the water stands or flows.

Church v. Meeker, 34 Conn. 424.

A floor or separate division of a floor, fitted for housekeeping and designed to be occupied by a single family. Cent. Diet. A building, the various floors of which are fitted up as flats, either residential or business. A flat is in law a house, though in fact only a part of one in the ordinary sense; L. R. 8 Q. B. D. 423; and the contract between the owner and the occupier is classed among “contracts for permissive use.”

Holland, Jur. 254.

The owner of a building who rents flats therein retains control of all portions not actually demised to tenants; [1893] Q. B. 177; Inhabitants of Milford v. Holbrook, 9 Allen (Mass.) 17, 85 Am. Dec. 735; he is ders him liable in damages; Quinn v. Perham, 151 Mass. 162, 23 N. B. 735; Sawyer v. Mc Gillicuddy, 81 Me. 318, 17 Ati. 124, 3 L. R. A. 458, 10 Am. St. Rep. 260; Dollard v. Roberts, 130 N. y. 269, 29 N. E. 101, 14 L. R. A. 238; 3 C. P. 326; but the owner is not an Insurer, and when he has constructed his roofs, pipes, or drains with the reasonable foresight commonly exercised by prudent men, he will not be responsible for a latent defect or an unusual stress of circumstances; L. R. 6 Ex. 217; Fitch v. Armour, 14 N. Y. Supp. 319; 5 Q. B. D. 602. Where the upper rooms only are leased, a covenant is implied on the part of the lessor to give such rooms the necessary support; Graves v. Berdan, 26 N. Y. 498; Ward v. Fagan, 28 Mo. App. 110; and he is under a negative duty to do nothing to lessen or decrease such support, or to render It Insecure; Judd v. Cushing, 50 Ilun 181, 2 N. Y. Supp. 836; Butler v. Cushing, 46 Hun (N. Y.) 521. As to elevator service, see Elevator. As regards the furnishing of.artificial light in halls and passage-ways, it has been held that in the absence of contractual obligation there is no legal duty on the part of the owner to furnish such light; Hilsenbeck v. Guhring, 131 N. Y. 674,.30 N. E. 580; contra, Mar^ wedel V. Cook, 154 Mass. 235, 28 N. E. 140. The janitor, being controlled by the owner, is, wlien engaged in the discharge of his general duties, the landlord’s servant. Any particular tenant may sue the owner for damages, if the general services so contracted for ai’e not rendered, but when a janitor is engaged by a tenant on some special service, such tenant becomes dominus pro tempore, and as such he Incurs a liability similar to the landlord’s; so when he attempts to interfere with or assume the direction of the janitor when the latter is discharging any general duty.

See [189.3] 1 Ch. 1.

In either case his duties and liabilities arc regulated by the general principles of the law of Master and Servant. The distinction between the tenants of flats and lodgers and guests at a hotel is, that while the latter may have- the exclusive enjoyment of their lodgings or rooms, they have not, as have the tenants of flats, the exclusive possession; 30 L. J. M. C. 74. See, generally. Apartment; Lease; Landlord AND Tenant. FLAVIANUM JUS (Lat.). A treatise on civil law, which takes its name from its author, Cneius Flavius. It contains forms of actions. Vicat, Voc. Jur.