Can Landlords Be Held Liable for Negligent Security?

December 1, 2022

If you’re renting a space such as an apartment as a tenant, and you are injured due to negligence on the part of the landlord of the property, you might be surprised to learn that you may be able to hold the landlord liable for negligent security reasons and potentially have a landlord liability case.

“Negligent security” (also sometimes known as “inadequate security”) is a type of premises liability that permits an individual to sue a property owner or tenant if that person is injured by the criminal act of a third party.

In short, tenants who have been harmed as a result of unsafe conditions can hold landlords responsible for that harm. Property owners have a legal responsibility to ensure their property is safe from crime, and those owners can, of course, include landlords.

Property owners who rent out their property as landlords have a duty to ensure the property has an adequate degree of security. Landlords are responsible for taking precautions to protect tenants from harm, and if your landlord doesn’t make sure to provide and maintain security measures and you suffer harm on their property, it’s possible they can be held liable.

Landlord Liability Examples

For example, reasonable steps that landlords can be expected to take to make sure that their property is safe can include hiring and posting security guards, installing and maintaining security cameras, providing sufficient lighting, installing secure doors and gates, and more.

In order to bring a negligent security case against a landlord, a tenant needs to show that the landlord’s failure to provide adequate security was the cause of their injury. For instance, if your landlord doesn’t supply adequate lighting – one of the aforementioned acceptable security measures – and you are assaulted on their property, you could potentially file a negligent security claim alleging that you wouldn’t have been assaulted if the property owner had taken reasonable steps to maintain the lighting.

Ultimately, there might be multiple parties that could be held liable in a case such as that example – from a landlord to a property management company and more. A good negligent security attorney can review a claim and determine any person or entity that’s potentially liable in the case.

If you believe you have a possible negligent security case that involves your landlord, please don’t hesitate to contact Phillips Law Group for a free, initial consultation to discuss your case and legal options. Our team is determined to help those who have been harmed get justice, and we would be honored to talk through your situation with you.