How Your Landlord Is Liable for Negligent Security

 Posted on June 18, 2019 in Premises Liability

A rental property owner is not always liable if you are the victim of criminal activity, such as an assault or battery. There are some incidents that unfortunately could not have been foreseen or prevented. However, the property owner is responsible for providing reasonable security if it should know that a lack of security would put you in danger. Its burden increases if you live in an area with high levels of crime. You may be able to collect personal injury compensation from your landlord if you can show that your landlord had a duty to protect you and that a lack of security enabled an act of violence against you.

Failed Promises

Landlords will often include a list of property security measures within their leases, such as:

• Locks on doors and windows;
• Lights in parking areas and at entrances;
• Security cameras; and
• Security guards.

Landlords are not required to provide all of these security measures but create a legal obligation to maintain them once they have promised them in a contract. They should not allow lights or cameras to fall into disrepair and should act quickly to fix them once they realize that there is a problem. They are also responsible for the professionalism of security guards on the premises. If there is a system for contacting security in the event of an emergency, you should expect an immediate response from someone trained to help you.

Prior Knowledge

Part of a landlord’s responsibility is to know about security threats near its property and to take action to protect its tenants. This may include increasing security on the property and warning you about recent criminal activities, such as batteries and burglaries. They also have a duty to respond when you inform them about a security threat, such as a broken lock or burned-out light. Failing to act on known security threats proves that the landlord was negligent in preventing a threat that resulted in physical or emotional harm.

Contact a Barrington Personal Injury Lawyer

Landlords often realize when their negligence is responsible for your personal injury. They may hide the evidence by fixing broken security features or claim ignorance about the security threat. If faced with strong evidence, they may be willing to offer an injury settlement instead of continuing the case in court. A Barrington, Illinois, personal injury attorney at Joseph M. Lucas & Associates, LLC, can compile evidence that your landlord’s negligence put you in danger and helped cause your injuries. To schedule a consultation, call 847-381-8700.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2201&ChapterID=62