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I fell in my apartment building – can I sue my landlord?

Accidents are quite common occurrences in apartment buildings in Florida. If you are wondering if you can sue your landlord after falling in your apartment building, you may be surprised to learn that there are certain hazards and dangerous conditions that your landlord can be held responsible for if he or she did not take certain action to correct them, states website Landlordology.

It is important for you to understand that your landlord must have been aware of any dangerous issues in the building that led to your accident. Your accident and injuries must also be a direct cause of those hazards. You may be able to file a claim against your landlord if he or she failed to correct any building code and safety laws violations. Building code violations can include plumbing issues and fire hazards.

You may also be able to file a claim if your landlord did not inform all tenants of potential hazards, such as broken stairs, slippery floors and broken elevators. Notification to the tenants can be in the form of letters, safety signs and posters posted in public and easy to view areas. This also applies if he or she left any hazards unresolved for too long. For example, hazardous conditions can occur that may require your landlord to hire an outside professional to fix them. However, time is of the essence. Your landlord must take reasonable actions to get those dangers resolved in a timely manner. If he or she cannot do so, then proper notice must be made informing everyone of the problems until they are fixed.

In order for your claim against your landlord to be successful, there are other factors that you should take into consideration. However, those factors depend greatly on the circumstances surrounding your accident. This information is only intended as educational material and should not be used as legal advice.