Premises Liability
For many California residents, an apartment is the place they call home.
According to the National Multifamily Housing Council, 6,539,242 people in the state of California lived in apartments in 2017. Whether you live in an apartment or are just visiting someone who does, nobody enters an apartment building expecting to get hurt. But unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens to many people every year.
Who is liable for an apartment injury?
When people are injured in apartment buildings, liability largely depends on who is in charge of maintaining the area where the accident occurred. Under the concept of premises liability, landlords have a responsibility to make sure the properties they own are safe for residents and visitors and are kept free of things that could reasonably be understood to be dangerous. This can include things like doing general maintenance in common areas, repairing balconies as needed, replacing burned-out light bulbs in stairways, and providing adequate fencing around a community pool.
When people are injured while in an individual apartment, there are some circumstances when liability could fall on the person who lives in the apartment. For example, if a visitor trips on a rug in a resident’s apartment, that’s something the landlord would have no control over. However, if someone trips over a broken floorboard in an apartment, and the resident had reported that broken floorboard to the landlord before, then the landlord may be liable.
For a landlord to be liable for an accident in an apartment building they own, it’s also important that the hazard be something that they should have been aware of and had a reasonable amount of time to address, either by having the problem fixed or by taking sensible measures to prevent people from being injured by the hazard.
Common causes of apartment injuries
- Slip, trip, and fall accidents
- Assaults due to a lack of security
- Balcony collapses
- Inadequately secured pool areas
- Improperly maintained community playground equipment
- Broken/missing smoke alarms
- Faulty wiring
- Poor lighting in stairwells
- Lack of maintenance to buildings, sidewalks, and parking lots
Injuries commonly caused by apartment accidents
Damages in an apartment injury claim
If you’ve been injured in an apartment complex, some types of damages you may be able to collect include:
- Medical expenses, including future medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- In-home assistance during recovery
Contact a Los Angeles apartment accident lawyer
If you’ve been injured in an apartment building, one of the best things you can have is a lawyer who can help protect your best interests. Insurance companies will try to deny liability or try to get you to settle for less. But at The Wallace Firm, we have lawyers who are experienced in handling premises liability cases. Our team will do all of the necessary research to build your case and will fight for you to get all of the compensation you need. Contact us today for help with your case.