Landlord, he of whom land or tenements are holden; who has a right to distrain for rent in arrear, etc., Co. Litt. 57. See Foa or Woodfall on Landlord and Tenant, and also the (English) Rent and Mortgage Interest Restrictions Act, 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. 5, c. 17), s. 70.
Includes the person who is receiving or is entitled to receive the rent of a building, whether on his own account or on behalf of another or on behalf of himself and others or as an agent, trustee, executor, administrator, receiver or guardian or who would so receive the rent or be entitled to receive the rent, Raval and Co. v. K.G. Ramachandran, AIR 1974 SC 818: (1974) 1 SCC 424: (1974) 2 SCR 629.
Mean a person who is the owner of the building and who has a right to remain in occupation and actual possession of the building to the exclusion of everyone else. It is such a person who can seek to evict the tenant on the ground that he requires possession in good faith for his own occupation, M.M. Quasim v. Manohar Lal Sharma, AIR 1981 SC 1113: (1981) 3 SCC 36. [Bihar Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Central Act, 1947, s. 11(1)(c)]
The definition of 'landlord' in s. 3(h) of the Karnataka Rent Control Act is an inclusive definition and would take within its fold any person who for an inclusive definition and would take within its fold any person who for the time being is receiving or is entitled to receive the rent in respect of the leased premises. S.B. Abdul Azeez v M. Maniyappa Setty, AIR 1989 SC 553: (1988) 4 SCC 727. [Karnataka Rent Control Act, 1961, s. 3(h)]
The word 'landlord' is a wide term so as to include' any person who, for the time being, is entitled to receive or but for a special contract, would be entitled to receive the rent of any premises, whether or not on his own account. Even if the rent is received by a person not on his own account but on account of any other person, such as his principal or his ward, he is landlord, Swadesh Ranjan Sinha v. Haradeb Banerjee, AIR 1992 SC 1590 (1591). [West Bengal Premises Tenancy Act, (12 of 1956), s. 2(d)]
The definition of 'landlord' is very wide and encompasses not only an owner but also person 'receiving or entitled to receive the rent of the building which has been let out or would be entitled to receive the rent of the building if it were let out to a tenant' in one of several capacities, L.I.C. v. India Automobiles & Co., (1990) 4 SCC 286: AIR 1991 SC 884. [T.N. Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1980 (18 of 1980), s. 2(6)]
To be a landlord a person need not necessarily be the owner, in a vast majority of case. An owner will be a landlord but in many cases a person other than an owner may as well be a landlord. It may be that in a given case the landlord is also an owner but a landlord need not be the owner, K.D. Dewan v. Harbhajan S. Parihar, AIR 2002 SC 67 (69): (2002) 1 SCC 119. [East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act, (3 of 1949), ss. 2(c) and 13(3) (a)]