Residents
Owners
Landlords should be aware of slip and fall accidents in order to protect yourself from liability. Renters and visitors to your rental properties should be guaranteed a safe experience and a hazard-free place. The most common injuries tend to be slip and fall accidents because a floor isn’t adequately cleaned or cared for.
An injury from a slip and fall is almost always going to result in a lawsuit and landlords will want to protect themselves by taking proper precautions. The way to do this is by maintaining your flooring in any rental units but especially in multi-unit properties with common areas. Here is a look at what you need to know about slip and fall accidents as a landlord.
What is a Slip and Fall?
This refers to an accident in which a person falls due to a poor surface resulting in broken bones, head injuries, dislocated joints, sprained muscles and more. This could happen due to poor floor conditions like worn carpet, contamination like debris or water, physical limitations such as disabled persons or careless activity like running or not paying attention. Having a substance on the floor will cause a slip and fall accident but other causes are harder to notice.
What Should a Landlord do?
The most common areas for slip and falls are lobby entrances, pool decks, stairs, food prep areas, anywhere that could have a leaking pipe and anywhere in which the flooring changes level or texture.
Landlords should be proactive to avoid falls by choosing appropriate floor surfaces and having them properly installed, having regular inspections done, maintaining the flooring properly and having an effective spill plan with proper signage. Get professional help to ensure proper flooring, otherwise, you could be looking at a slip and fall litigation.
Consider these issues when it comes to slip and fall accidents for landlords.
