Can I Sue My Landlord?
Maybe.
In order to successfully sue anyone for a personal injury, you have to be able to prove some form of neglect. If you get hurt at home, most of the time, that neglect is your own. You can’t sue yourself because you were injured in your own home. However, given special circumstances, you (and a good lawyer) might be able to build a case against a negligent landlord.
If you slip and fall in the bathroom because you didn’t put a bathmat down to collect the water on the floor, then you can’t sue your landlord. You can’t expect your landlord to go running from door to door to ask if you’ve mopped up the water on the floor after a shower.
On the other hand, if you fall down a set a stairs inside of the house you rent because the banister fell off the wall, you might have a case for personal injury. If you have proof of repeatedly reminding your landlord that the banister was loose and that you relied on it to remain steady, then you have the start of a good personal injury case. If you seriously injure yourself and you are unable to work for weeks or months because of a broken ankle, then you probably have good cause for suing your landlord.
Not only do you have to prove that the landlord was knowledgeable and negligent about the problem, you also have to have serious medical bills and lost wages to present a successful lawsuit.
Keep in mind, most injuries that happen at home are your own fault. You can’t sue yourself and you can’t make a claim against your own renter’s insurance or homeowner’s insurance policy. However, you might still be able to pursue your landlord given that you have enough evidence and a good personal injury attorney.
