If you rent or own an apartment in an apartment building in Philadelphia or elsewhere in Pennsylvania, you expect the common area of the apartment complex to be safe and free of any unreasonable hazards. In fact, if you are renting an apartment, your landlord is required to provide a safe living space and warn you of any non-obvious and dangerous conditions, if any.
Fact: An estimated nearly 20 million American households rent apartments, and the vast majority of them opt for affordable options in older apartment complexes.
Under Pennsylvania premises liability law, landlords have a duty to conduct regular inspections of their rental property in order to address hazardous conditions, if any. “The same can be said about owners of apartment complexes,” says our Philadelphia apartment complex accident attorney at Dan Doyle Law Group. “Owners of apartment buildings and their management companies have a legal duty to keep their properties hazard-free.”
It is not uncommon for both landlords and owners of apartment buildings to be negligent and fail to inspect and maintain their properties as required by law, which is why apartment building insurance claims and lawsuits are filed by injured tenants and guests in Philadelphia and all across Pennsylvania every single day.
Since hundreds or thousands of people walk in an apartment building every single day (the vast majority of whom go to and from their apartment, while others are visiting their family, friends, or enter the premises for business purposes or any other reason), it makes sense why unsafe and hazardous conditions can develop quite quickly without the property owner being able to notice and address the hazards in a timely manner.
“Under Pennsylvania law, property owners have a legal duty to fix, remedy, and eliminate unreasonably dangerous conditions within a reasonable amount of time upon notice or complaint,” says our experienced apartment building accident attorney in Philadelphia. However, when regular inspections and proper maintenance do not occur, the following types of dangerous conditions can be caused by negligent acts or omission to act:
Generally, apartment building accidents can occur either in a common area or inside a rental unit. The owner of an apartment complex and those employed by the owner to conduct regular inspections and maintenance of the premises have a duty to keep all common areas in a safe and sanitary condition free of any hazards. These common areas include sidewalks, parking lots, walkways, hallways, stairs, elevators, escalators, lobbies, entrances, and other areas.
When a tenant is injured inside a rental unit, on the other hand, the tenant may be able to sue the landlord who has a legal duty to conduct regular inspections and, if necessary, fix hazardous conditions which were not caused by the tenant. When seeking compensation for your injury at an apartment building, you need to consult with a Philadelphia apartment complex lawyer prior to filing a personal injury claim to identify liable parties and evaluate your damages. Contact Dan Doyle Law Group for a free case evaluation. Call our offices at 215-987-3730.