Arturo P. Santos v. The Court of Appeals

Summary

This unlawful detainer case involved Aurora Gutierrez seeking to eject the Santos spouses from rental property for personal use, repairs, and alleged rental delinquency. The tenants had occupied the premises for 28 years under a month-to-month lease at P250 monthly. All courts consistently ruled in favor of the landlord. The Supreme Court held that a month-to-month lease contract creates a definite period that allows termination upon proper notice under Article 1673(1) of the Civil Code. The Court rejected tenants' arguments about rental delinquency, defective notice, preferential purchase rights under PD 1517, and procedural requirements under BP 25. The case established that even long-term month-to-month tenants can be lawfully ejected when the contractual period expires, regardless of the lessor's motive. The decision affirmed the landlord's right to terminate definite-period leases and recover possession of rental property.