- June 6, 2019
One of the advantages of renting over buying property is that if something in your home needs to be repaired, your landlord is responsible for addressing the maintenance issues. Landlords, like all property owners, have an obligation to safely maintain the buildings they own.What if your landlord fails to fulfill their responsibility, either by not addressing a known safety issue, or by renting out an unsafe property in the first place? What do you do if you sustain an injury because of your landlord’s negligence?
What is Premises Liability Law?
A landlord’s violation of their duty to upkeep their property safely relates to premises liability law. This area of the law protects individuals from injuries that can be sustained as a result of hazards in homes, on worksites, or in public places.
Some of the most common types of premises liability accidents include:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Falling objects
- Security risks
General premises liability covers a wide swath of injuries. In the context of an accident caused by landlord negligence, unsafe appliances, gas leaks, inadequate locks, and loose floorboards or stairs are all on-property factors that could cause injury.
Proving Landlord Negligence
The negligence of a landlord can result not only in medical bills and lost wages, but additional costs can arise if you need to relocate because the property is no longer livable. Your landlord can be required to pay for the expenses their actions caused if negligence is proven.
To establish your case, maintain any records you can of the damage, your injuries, and the repair process: Photographs, receipts, and maintenance requests are all helpful pieces of evidence. It may be difficult to recover some documents without the assistance of a lawyer — our team may be able to help.
If your landlord was negligent in the maintenance of your living space and you suffered from an injury as a result, contact Goodman Acker P.C. Our attorneys can help you understand your rights.
Send us a message or call (248) 286-8100 to discuss your case in a free evaluation.