Who Is Responsible For Personal Injuries on Rental Properties

If you were injured while on a rental property, it may be harder than you think to get compensation. The difficulties in getting compensation boil down to the issue of liability. Who was at fault? Was the property owner (landlord) responsible, or was the person occupying the property responsible? Were you a tenant or someone visiting a rental property?

These are all important considerations in a premises liability case related to a rental property. Let’s look a bit closer at these factors.

Liability

Generally speaking, the occupier of a property will be liable for injuries that occur on the property, at least to some extent. As a commercial or residential tenant, the occupier is generally viewed as being in control of the property. A tenant who is in control of the property has a duty to monitor and maintain the premises within the scope of a rental contract.

Essentially, if an injury occurs as a result of the occupiers actions, behavior, or failure to meet the provisions of the rental agreement, then he or she can be held responsible for injuries that occur as a result. For example, if a tenant has a family gathering and someone is injured due to a spill in the kitchen, the tenant would be responsible, as the cause of the accident was outside the landlord’s control.

However, if an injury occurs as a result of a hazard caused by poor maintenance, poor security, renting a property with a known hazard, or an owner’s acts or omissions, then the owner can be held responsible.

A Landlord’s Duty to Tenants

Now, consider that you are a tenant and were injured. Will your landlord be responsible? The answer depends on whether or not your landlord was negligent or breached his or her duty of care to you. To find out, consider the following:

Determining Who is Responsible

As you can see, determining who is responsible for injuries on rental properties can be quite a process. You must consider where the injury occurred, the cause, and who was responsible for circumstances directly related. The best way to do this is by contacting a premises liability lawyer to discuss your case.

At The Dixon Firm, P.C. we handle all sorts of premises liability cases, including those involving rental properties. Whether you suffered an injury as a result of poor maintenance, negligent security, or a landlord’s failure to correct a hazard, we can help. Our team of personal injury lawyers will thoroughly investigate your injury case and determine who was at fault, and how best to get you the compensation you deserve.