When you enter someone else’s property, you run the risk of getting injured. And technically, the rental unit you reside in is considered the property of your landlord. Read on to discover whether your landlord is to blame for your apartment accident and how a seasoned Toronto slip and fall lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help you in determining this.
Under what circumstances is my landlord to blame for my apartment accident?
First of all, an apartment accident may be prompted in more ways than you may initially think. Examples of such accidents include, but are not limited to, the following:
- You incur an injury because your apartment complex’s parking lot, sidewalks, and staircases are covered in ice, snow, or debris.
- You incur an injury because your apartment complex’s elevator is not up to code.
- You incur an injury because your rental unit’s balcony or ceiling is not up to code.
- You are made a victim of burglary because your rental unit’s doors and windows do not have adequate locks.
- You are made a victim of a fire because your rental unit does not have an adequate smoke detector.
- You are made a victim of poisoning because your rental unit does not have an adequate carbon monoxide detector.
- You are made a victim of electrocution because your rental unit does not have adequate wire protection.
When determining whether your landlord is the at-fault party in your apartment accident, you may ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you the tenant of a rental unit, and therefore your landlord owed you a duty of care?
- Did your landlord know, or should have reasonably known, about a potentially hazardous condition in your rental unit or apartment complex?
- Did your landlord neglect to rectify the potentially hazardous condition, or warn about the potentially hazardous condition, promptly?
- Did you encounter this intentionally hazardous condition, and therefore incurred serious injuries and damages as a result?
If the answers to the above questions are a unanimous “yes,” then you may easily assign blame to your landlord for your apartment accident injuries and damages.
What is the statute of limitations for my apartment accident claim?
If you were made a victim of an apartment accident, the odds are that you are now suffering from serious physical, emotional, and financial burdens. And so, a personal injury claim may be the best option for recovering these damages.
Importantly, there is a certain timeframe in which you must bring your claim. This statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of your accident. Otherwise, you may be permanently barred from suing, and ultimately barred from seeking financial compensation and overall justice.
With that being said, we recommend that you consult with a competent Ontario personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Schedule your initial consultation with us today.
