You may do your part to keep your individual apartment unit clean and safe, and the common areas of the complex (i.e., sidewalks, stairwells, hallways, etc.) may be seemingly secure. This is why you may be left completely blindsided if you find yourself the victim of a slip and fall accident on these premises. At this time, you may be unsure of what went wrong or if there is anyone to blame besides yourself and your clumsiness. Without further introduction, please follow along to find out who is potentially responsible for your apartment accident and how a proficient Tampa slip and fall lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can guide you through its immediate aftermath.
Who is potentially responsible for my apartment accident?
According to Florida landlord-tenant law, landlords hold a duty of care in maintaining individual apartment units and common areas in a reasonably safe condition. This should be in an effort to protect tenants and their welcomed visitors from slip and fall accidents, violent crimes, and overall injuries on their premises.
With that in mind, you may automatically assume that your landlord is to blame for your apartment accident. But it is imperative that you deeply think through your accident event, as it is possible that your landlord employed a third-party property management company that is the truly liable party. This may be correct if, for example, the property management company is in charge of upkeeping the apartment complex’s walkways, and you ultimately slip and fall due to a loose handrail, broken step, weather-related debris, large potholes, cracks, or uneven surfaces, or otherwise.
In addition, the previous property owner may have failed to inform your landlord after the pre-existing hazardous conditions on the premises when transferring ownership rights. Lastly, there may be an employed maintenance contractor who may have a hand in all this.
What should I do if I slip and fall in my apartment complex?
The one thing you may know for certain is that your slip and fall accident was most definitely due to no fault of your own. Therefore, for your upcoming injury claim, you should immediately file an official report of your accident with your landlord. This is in addition to capturing and preserving evidence of the hazardous condition that prompted your slip and fall. Also, you should speak with fellow tenants to gather information on whether they have previously reported this hazard or if they otherwise know how long it has been left unaddressed.
If you do not take these steps, your landlord or the defending party may question the legitimacy of your claim. That is, they may argue that you failed to fulfill your tenant responsibility in reasonably avoiding and reporting the hazard before it was too late.
Before entering these proceedings, you should have already hired a talented Pasco County personal injury lawyer to represent you. So, if you have not done so already, please get in touch with Merricks Law Group, P.A. today.
