As a tenant, you have certain rights and protections, including the right to live in a safe place. While this means that your landlord (or the property manager, owner or other responsible party) is required to maintain the safety of your unit and the surrounding premises, it does not necessarily mean that your landlord will be liable (i.e., legally responsible) if you sustain any injury on the property.
Below is a closer look at when a landlord may be liable for tenant injuries. If you need help holding a landlord (or owner) accountable for their negligence, don’t hesitate to contact a trusted Denver personal injury and premises liability lawyer at Cederberg Law. All of our attorneys are experienced, dedicated professionals who have the insight, skills and resources you can rely on to help you successfully resolve your claim.
When Landlords Are Liable: Failure to Maintain/Repair
Here’s when your landlord may be liable for your injuries. Contact our Denver personal injury lawyer for help if you’ve been hurt by others’ negligence in keep their properties safe.
Landlords will generally be liable for tenants’ injuries when:
- The landlord failed to exercise reasonable care to maintain a unit/property (in other words, the injuries were caused by the landlords failure to exercise the level of care that a reasonable person in the same/a similar situation would have); AND
- The injuries sustained were foreseeable, meaning that it was reasonable to foresee that such injuries would occur due to the landlord’s failure to exercise reasonable care.
Most notably, landlords will likely be liable when their failure to maintain and/or repair aspects of a property have resulted in risky/dangerous areas and, in turn, tenants’ injuries. Some examples of this include (but are by no means limited to) landlords not fixing:
- Broken pipes
- Leaking roofs
- Broken stair railings
- Broken elevators
- Any other broken, damaged or older features that, left in that state, present a risk/danger to tenants.
When Landlords Are Liable: Criminal Acts on the Property
Along with the above, landlords can also generally be held liable when their failure to exercise reasonable care (in maintaining the safety of the premises) has led to tenants being the victims of crimes on their properties. Some examples of this can include when landlords:
- Fail to repair broken deadbolts or other locks and then tenants are the victims of theft
- Fail to fix broken parking lot enclosures and/or lights, causing victims to be the victims of assaults or burglaries.
When Landlords Are NOT Liable
Landlords will NOT be liable for tenants’ injuries:
- If those injuries resulted from the tenant’s own reckless, careless or negligence behavior
- When those injuries resulted from trespassing or other criminal activities.
Contact a Denver Personal Injury Lawyer at Cederberg Law
Have you been hurt on someone else’s poorly maintained, unsafe property? If so, contact a Denver personal injury lawyer at Cederberg Law to find out more about your best options for financial recovery.
For nearly 40 years, our esteemed legal professionals have been successful at securing results and compensation for people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and other types of traffic accidents. Having handled countless cases, our attorneys have a deep understanding of the law, as well as the legal experience you need, and we can fiercely defend your rights in any legal setting.
To meet with us at no cost or obligation to you, call us at 303-499-0449 or email us using the form at the side of the screen. In addition to offering free initial consults and contingency fee options, our lawyers make hospital visits to ensure that you have access to the legal support you need – whenever you need it.
