Hell or High Water Contract

We’re lucky enough to be the proud owners of a creepy little cabin on the banks of a nearby lake. It doesn’t have plumbing or electricity, but it’s cozy enough, and we figure it’ll be a good place to go during the zombie apocalypse.

One day, our sister says she wants to rent it from us. Knowing how flaky and prone to random disasters she is, we agree, but we make sure to include a “hell or high water” clause in the rental contract: no matter what happens, she must continue to pay us rent until the lease has expired.

And when we say “no matter what,” we mean “no matter what.” If she suddenly decides to up and relocate to Rio, she still has to pay out the lease. If she loses her job at the local rubber duck factory and money gets tight, she still has to pay out the lease. If the roof caves in, she still has to pay out the lease. If the cabin catches on fire and gets sucked up into a tornado and tossed into the lake, she still has to pay out the lease.

This is how hell or high water contracts work: there are almost no circumstances under which a payment can be late or skipped. In fact, if our sister wants to try and argue her way out of a payment, no matter what her situation is, she’s probably going to have to take us to court. And even if whatever happened is our fault—like if our neglect is what caused the cabin’s roof to cave in—she might still be required to pay us rent.