You slipped and fell in an icy parking lot, on a broken staircase, or in a leaky laundry room. Who is responsible for your injury? Do you have a case to pursue compensation? In some situations, your landlord may be liable for your medical bills and loss of wages.
When Fault Lies With Your Landlord
Any slip and fall in a rental home or apartment building may lead to a variety of injuries, including knee, back, or head wounds. Even “minor” issues like a concussion or sprain may have an impact on your ability to return to work, but there’s also the potential for long term or permanent effects.
With so much on the line, you need to find out who specifically caused the accident. The first element of your potential case to understand is that your landlord is typically responsible for common areas like:
- Exterior walkways
- Interior hallways or staircases in apartment buildings or duplexes with multiple units
- Laundry rooms
- Parking areas
- Public areas such as rec rooms, pools, and gyms
However, the property owner or landlord can still be held liable even if the fall took place inside your actual area of residence in some circumstances. To be held liable, the landlord must:
- Be aware of the problem (like a leaky pipe, damaged stair, snowy walkway, etc.)
- Fail to take the appropriate steps to address the problem in a timely fashion
- Not be protected by the terms of the lease
This last point is incredibly important in any slip and fall case. Your lease may stipulate that you are responsible for upkeep like shoveling sidewalks, ensuring adequate lighting, and so on. However, even in cases where the lease appears to absolve the landlord of any blame, there may be extenuating circumstances to consider.
Your best course of action is to contact an experienced premises liability attorney to go over the lease agreement and potentially investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident to determine who is responsible for your slip and fall.
Talk to a Premises Liability Attorney If You’ve Been Hurt in a Fall
Were you injured after a fall? We want to help you recover the damages you are owed. Provide us with the basic details of your accident and we can get in touch to determine the next steps.