Miami Rental Apartment Fall or Injury Lawyer
Slip and falls in the home often result in fractured bones, torn ligaments, painful sprains, and even heat trauma. As is often the case for rentals, apartments and/or the surrounding common areas are often left in dangerous or dilapidating conditions by landlords who are reluctant to spend the necessary resources on fixing problems. If you were injured in such a slip and fall, a Miami rental apartment fall or injury lawyer at Spencer Morgan Law can help.
Slip and Fall or Other Injury in a Common Area
If you slip, trip, and fall in a common area of the apartment complex, such as a stairway or a shared gym or pool, the property owner may be liable for your damages if you can prove that a hazard existed that the landlord should have addressed. Because you are not responsible for cleaning, repairing, or maintaining walking surfaces or stairs outside of your apartment, there is a better chance that the property owner or property manager will be proven to be at fault than if the fall took place in your apartment.
Slip and Fall or Other Injury in Your Apartment
Most slip and falls that take place inside an apartment are not the fault of the landlord/property owner. For example, if a tenant left a window open, rain got in and made a puddle on the floor, and they slipped and fell, the property owner would not be held liable. However, if there was damage that the property owner knew about, or should have known about, and failed to fix that damage—such as a broken stair step or a ragged, torn up rug—they may be at fault. However, some responsibility does fall onto the shoulders of the tenant when it comes to informing the property owner about the hazard. If you told your landlord about a potential hazard, they refused to fix it or did a poor job fixing it, and you tripped and fell, you might have a winning case.
What You Need to do Now
The most important steps you can take right now are to inform the property owner about the fall and your injury, take photos of where you fell and explain how it happened, and reach out to an attorney. Do not wait days or weeks to tell your landlord about the incident, as this will weaken the chances of your claim. Furthermore, once you do inform your landlord (an email is best so there is evidence of it), do not discuss the case any further until you have spoken to a premises liability attorney.
Call a Miami Rental Apartment Injury Lawyer
Slip and falls and other injuries sustained in apartments or in common areas should be investigated by an experienced attorney. You may be able to recover compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages caused by the incident. If you were injured, call Spencer Morgan Law today at 305-423-3800 for a free consultation with a Miami rental apartment fall or injury lawyer.