If you are one of the growing numbers of people in the UK living in rented accommodation, then you might not be aware of the liabilities your landlord has when it comes to preventable injuries around the home. Unlike privately owned accommodation, tenants have extra protection in law as their landlords are required to maintain the property in accordance with the tenancy contract.
When making a claim for an accident that has happened in a flat, apartment or house you are renting, you must first prove that your landlord was negligent, and second, that this negligence caused your injury.
When proving that your landlord was negligent, you must show that your landlord had control over the problem or defect that caused your injury, and that the injury was a foreseeable one. You must also show that it would not have been unreasonably expensive or difficult for your landlord to repair the problem. Lastly, you must show that it there was a high probability that not fixing the problem would lead to an accident, as it may not always have been obvious or even likely that the defect or problem could cause someone to suffer an injury.
It doesn’t matter whether you have tripped and fallen after catching your feet on a broken front door step, or you have been injured by faulty electrical product that was supplied by your landlord. As long as you can prove the accident was caused by the negligence of your landlord, or the person responsible for the upkeep of your residence, then you may be able to make a claim against for personal injury compensation.
A landlord’s liability doesn’t just apply to the tenant or tenants of a property. If a visitor to your property injures him or herself on a defect that should have been repaired by your landlord, then they too should be able to make a claim, provided they can prove negligence.
So if you are a tenant, or someone who has been injured whilst visiting a rented property, and you have been injured through no fault of your own, call Camps Solicitors for advice and assistance to help you make a personal injury compensation claim.
Call 0800 092 8586
Speak to one of our claims advisors about your claim.
As a landlord I would like to know if I can take out an insurance policy to protected myself from being sued as a result of a tenant receiving an injury in my property. Any advice really appreciated.
Thanks
Tom
Thanks for your comments Tom. Obviously one of the easiest ways to reduce the chances that one of your tennants is injured on your property is to keep it in a good state of repair. You should pay particular attention to any eletrical items to make sure they are in good order and do not pose a risk to anyone using them. Also, the state of the flooring within the property is important, as you wouldn’t want a tennant to trip and fall on uneven floors or exposed pipes etc.
A quick search of the internet looking for “Landlord Liability Insurance” turned up a few sites that might be of use, such as http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/landlord/liability-insurance/ although I can’t vouch for the quality of information on an unrelated site, it seems to have the information you were after.
Hello Tom, thanks for your comments on the Camps site. Generally we wouldn’t be able to advise on insurance matters, but I think if you had a look for “Landlord Liability Insurance” in a search engine then you might be able to find some information on an insurance product that would fit with what you are talking about here.