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Apartment owners and managers are responsible for keeping the building and the land safe for everybody on the property, including the tenants, their guests, visitors, and employees. This usually means maintaining the premises so it is free of hazards, and has adequate fire safety measures and security. Unfortunately, many rental properties are not safe and it is often due to negligence on the part of the owner.
If you have been hurt while on an apartment’s property, talk to a lawyer with experience in apartment building injuries in Chicago to learn about your legal options. A seasoned premises liability attorney from McCready Law could help you recover compensation for your injuries and hold the landlord responsible.
The apartment’s owner, landlord, and manager have a duty of care to keep anyone who occupies the premises, both inside and outside the building, safe from harm. Fulfilling this duty means that they must take reasonable steps to ensure that the land and the building are free from hazards that could cause harm to someone. Failure to fulfill this duty is called negligence if someone gets hurt.
Perhaps the most common cause of incidents at apartments is dangerous hazards like liquid spills, broken stairs, loose ceiling fixtures that could hit someone in the head, and exposed electrical wires that could give someone a shock. Hazards could also extend to the outside portion of the complex, such as holes in the ground and rusted gates with sharp protrusions. The apartment owner fulfills their duty of care by cleaning up the spills and fixing the broken or loose fixtures.
An apartment owner’s duty of care also includes proper fire safety procedures and measures to protect people from burns and smoke inhalation. These measures could include smoke detectors, sprinklers, and easily accessible fire extinguishers. The building should also have adequate escape routes in the event of a fire.
In some situations, the apartment complex must provide adequate security to protect its tenants from being victims of violent crimes such as sexual assault or robbery. Landlords should ensure that the locks and doors are functional to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the building and install security cameras to monitor the hallways and entrances. It may even be necessary to employ regular security patrols. Victims may have a claim against the apartment owner if the crime could have been prevented by adequate security.
However, proving negligence on the part of the owner or manager is challenging and they will argue that they did take all the reasonable steps. A seasoned Chicago attorney could help victims of apartment complex incidents develop a case against the owner and recover compensation for their injuries.
Apartment accidents are a form of premises liability, which is a type of personal injury, and a victim could recover monetary and non-monetary damages from the apartment owner. Monetary damages are the quantifiable costs that arise from the injuries caused by the accident. This includes hospital bills, medical treatment, property loss, and sometimes lost wages.
Non-monetary damages are more complex because they generally do not have a quantifiable money amount. These damages include pain and suffering, and emotional distress, particularly in situations where someone is the victim of a violent crime.
Recovering damages from the apartment owner is not as simple as asking for a certain amount because there must be evidence to support the claim. A knowledgeable Chicago lawyer could help develop the case and pursue all possible forms of compensation for victims of apartment accidents.
Landlords owe a duty of care to their tenants and visitors to keep the premises safe, but unfortunately, apartment building injuries in Chicago are often caused by negligent owners. If you have been hurt, talk about your case with a devoted lawyer at McCready Law to learn about your legal options.
An experienced lawyer on our team could support you through the legal process and provide rigorous representation against the landlord. Call McCready Law to get your case started.