When a Landlord is Responsible for the Injuries of a Tenant

When you rent a property, you may believe that you are responsible for everything that happens on that property. However, landlords may have liability if you are injured on their rental property and we will help you understand in what situations this applies.

When Negligence Comes Into Play 

When somebody causes unintentional harm to others through their actions, this constitutes negligence. However, sometimes these cases are difficult to prove because a tenant must be able to show that the landlord breached a duty of care. Their duty of care is the caution that they must exercise under the circumstances, and without it, they are being negligent. Landlords are expected to maintain safe conditions on their property, so what they did will be compared to the standard that most landlords abide by.

An example of landlord negligence is if a landlord fails to install smoke alarms. If your state requires that they do this and they fail to, they may be liable if an injury occurs due to a fire taking place on the property. Sometimes, the duty of care that they owe is greater than reasonable care, because it involves young children. Landlords are expected to exercise a greater degree of care with children in order to avoid danger.

Is the Landlord Responsible? 

Just because a tenant was injured on a rental property does not always mean that the landlord is liable for injuries. If the landlord knew that an injury was foreseeable and failed to act, then they will be liable for injuries. In many cases, these situations occur when a landlord doesn’t repair something, such as a danger on the sidewalk or a stairway, which causes the tenant to become injured. They usually had notice of the danger but did nothing to stop it.

If you believe that a landlord could be responsible for your injuries because they failed to act on something, you may have a case. It is important to speak promptly to an attorney about what options you have in these cases. We can help you with your injury case, so call us today.