The Sublease

I can see your point about capitalizing on another's property. DVDs have those disclaimers that they are for private use only. It would be illegal to buy a movie on DVD and then charge a fee to watch it. Or it would be illegal to copy a published poem and send it in to a magazine as your own and expect payment. When it comes to intellectual property, I agree. It's illegal to sell or in any way make a profit on copyright material.

In the case of apartments, i have heard many examples of how renters in "the big city" are able to get sky high rent when they sublet. People who are vacationing often like to stay in a private home rather than a hotel. And they are often willing to pay. However, I don't know the particulars of lease agreements, like, do renters have to split the profit with the owner of the building?

In the case of ILL, the two couples were longtime friends. In no way was Fred suffering because Ricky was making a profit. And he did admit, he'd still expect rent money if the place was vacant all summer. Why would he begrudge the Ricardos the chance to make a profit? It's not like that's what they set out to do. Mrs. Hammond was the one who told them that she could get them more money than they were paying in rent. It's hard to believe that this was the first time it happened. I can't believe that Fred never had a renter try to sublet before.
If this was a major problem for Fred then he should have put a clause in the lease that said a tenant could only charge the same amount for a sublet as he himself was paying.

And again, the Ricardos were inviting the Mertzes up to Maine to be their guests, presumably they would be paying for the hotel room and food. I maintain that Ricky was being generous and Fred just had his usual dollar signs in his eyes.

As for the washing machine, I forget. WHICH side was I on? LOL Both couples really jumped the gun. Mrs. Trumbull's nephew fixed the machine very cheaply. Before both couples went ballistic, they should have called a repairman!
Yes in a TRUE business deal, like if Fred bought the machine from a store, he wouldn't have to pay if the machine broke right away. Most items come with a warranty. For that reason and others, Ricky did NOT want to sell the machine to the Mertzes. He was selling it with no guarantee and no warranty. It was sold "as is." And Fred did say how handy he was with tools. He could fix any problem.
Ricky was right in not wanting to do business with friends. All sorts of personal feelings get mixed up in a business deal. Also, as Ricky said, "You took possession of the merchandise!" So he expected payment.
What would happen in small claims court? I wonder how a judge would rule if there was no buyer for the machine and it couldn't be repaired.

About Mrs. Hammond...she says that she's been renting apartments for her clients in the Mertz building for years. She's good at her job and tries to get the highest rent possible. Obviously, it helps her personal finances too.

As she says when she comes up with a solution to the problem, "I was just trying to protect my commission."
I'm thinking that her commission is about 10%. So ten percent of $300 is better than ten percent pf $100! I can't believe this was the FIRST time she got rent above what the normal rent was. So did the other tenants in Fred's building never mention to him that they were getting a lot to sublet their apartments? Probably, since they weren't close friends like the Ricardos were.

Comparing subletting your apartment to borrowing a friend's car to use as a taxi is not a valid comparison. First, The Ricardos didn't borrow the apartment to make a profit. They were renting it and the Mertzes knew that they were subletting so they wouldn't have to pay rent on an empty place. And once again, Ricky was living up to his part of the lease. He OWED Fred the rent money. And he wasn't subletting to some lowlife who'd tear out the plumbing. In no way was Fred suffering by having someone else living for a few months in the Ricardo apartment.
If you borrow a friend's car and become an Uber driver with it, well that's different. You'd owe your friend money for car maintenance, an oil change,etc.

But true, it made no sense for Mrs. Hammond to keep sending over potential clients for approval. The Mertzes were going to play out that spiteful string to the end. They didn't seem to mind that the Ricardos would be forking over two months rent while they were away. I just can't help it. i think the Mertzes are being small minded and petty in this instance.