When you rent an apartment or another type of residential property in North Carolina, you have certain rights. While you must abide by specific terms presented by your landlord in your rental contract, you do have the right to a reasonable expectation of safety, as well as the right to hold your landlord accountable when his or her negligence leads to your injury.
Dealing with matters involving landlord-tenant issues can be complicated and difficult to navigate. You may be unsure of your rights and the responsibilities of your landlord, but you always have the right to seek a full understanding of both. This may help you better understand if your landlord is liable for the injuries you suffered.
The duties of your landlord
Landlords must do more than just list properties and draft contracts. They cannot expose tenants to unnecessary risks or threats to safety. They have a duty to maintain safe premises, and their specific responsibilities include the following:
- Maintaining common areas and ridding them of hazards and safety concerns
- Warning tenants of potential dangers of which they are aware
- Repairing defects in the property when notified by the tenant
- Ensuring safe residences for furnished short-term leases
Landlords are only responsible for your injuries if they were the result of negligence. Proving fault and negligence is never easy, but if you are the victim of dangerous premises, negligent maintenance or other unnecessary hazards, you could have grounds to move forward with legal action against your landlord. If you want to prove your landlord is liable for your injuries, any civil claim must be able to demonstrate the following about your situation:
- Existence of dangerous conditions that landlord knew about or should have known about
- Failure by landlord to fix the dangerous condition in a reasonable amount of time
- Reasonably foreseeable injuries resulting from the unfixed hazard
From broken stairs to improperly maintained walkways, landlords can be accountable for the consequences of their negligence and failure to fix safety issues.
Protecting yourself as a tenant
If you are a tenant, you know that you would be wise to apprise yourself of your rights. It is prudent to protect your interests and shield yourself against unnecessary legal complications. When hurt by dangerous premises or unnecessary hazards present in rented property, you do not have to suffer in silence.
You may be able to recover your losses related to medical bills, continued rehabilitation needs and more. When it comes to your recovery and fair compensation, there is no time to lose in taking the appropriate action.
