One location where tenants and guests can be hurt in a slip and fall accident is a rental property. Apartment complexes, private residences, and duplexes are a few of the residential rental properties where slip and falls occur. If you were hurt in one of these accidents, you would need to prove that the landlord’s negligence was the cause of your fall in order to hold the landlord responsible for compensating you for your injuries.
What Are Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents Due to Landlord Negligence at Rental Properties?
A landlord has a duty to maintain the rental property in reasonable repair and not to allow unsafe conditions to exist on the property that would cause harm to tenants or their guests. However, it will be important to review the tenant’s lease because some leases shift the responsibility for making repairs and maintaining areas, such as sidewalks, to the tenant. In addition, a landlord is only responsible if the landlord knew or should have known about the hazardous condition or that the repair problem existed. However, landlords have a duty to inspect the property so that they remain aware of dangerous conditions and perform maintenance as necessary.
In many cases, the landlord retains the responsibility for maintenance of the property or at least common areas, such as hallways, stairs, and parking lots. Common causes of slip and fall accidents caused by landlord negligence include:
- Parking lots and sidewalks. When a landlord fails to repair cracks and potholes in sidewalks and parking lots, a person can suffer fractures, back or spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and more. Landlords have a duty to inspect these areas and make repairs when necessary to protect tenants and guests.
- Staircases. In apartment complexes with stairways, landlords almost always are responsible for their upkeep in the common areas and within tenants’ apartments. When stairs are worn, cracked, or loose or the handrail is broken, a tenant or guest could suffer serious injuries in a fall.
- Snow and ice. If a landlord is responsible for snow and ice removal in parking lots and on sidewalks, he could face liability if he fails to maintain them and someone falls.
- Floorings. Landlords are often responsible for the flooring in common areas and the rental unit. Even when they know of the need to replace torn or worn flooring and carpeting, they may fail to do so due to the cost.
- Inadequate lighting. Inadequate lighting in parking lots, rental property entranceways, and hallways can make it impossible for people to see hazardous conditions that they may otherwise be able to avoid.
Did you suffer a slip and fall accident at a rental property? You need the assistance of an experienced premises liability attorney to help you determine whether the landlord or tenant is responsible for compensating you and to prove that party’s negligence. Call our office today to schedule a free consultation to learn how we will aggressively fight for your right to compensation.
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