Even though you occupy your home, if you rent from someone else, it is the landlord’s responsibility to maintain the premises. If you face safety risks because of negligence on your landlord’s part, you could suffer a preventable injury.
If you inform your landlord of concerns and they do nothing to correct the problem, you have the right to pursue legal action.
Premise hazards
Your residence should allow you to live safely without the threat of harmful hazards. To prevent such hazards, your landlord should schedule and complete routine maintenance to keep the premises safe, appealing and functional. Some hazards that could endanger you include the following:
- Faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Debris or trash littering walkways
- Inadequate lighting in stairways and outdoors
- Snow and ice
- Electrical hazards
- Aging tree limbs
Uninhabitable circumstances
Depending on the situation, ignorance of your concerns could cause your residence to become uninhabitable. This result can produce ongoing problems for you including a temporary housing crisis while you await the green light to return to your residence. According to Realtor.com, uninhabitable circumstances can include flooding, pest infestation and other health and safety risks.
At the earliest sign of concern, inform your landlord of potential hazards. Provide details about the hazard’s location and what you have noticed about its activity. Delaying action on your part could have costly consequences. If something harmful happens, your landlord may claim that you never informed them of an impending issue.
While you await repairs or intervention, maintain constant contact with your landlord and document any interactions. This information may have instrumental value in building a case if your landlord does act negligently and you need to prove that your injury is the result of their ignorance.