In a period of soaring rents and substandard housing, tenants in the United States are facing more difficulties than ever with their rentals. The Kansas City Star recently published an article detailing the troubles some Kansas City tenants are facing.
When difficulties with your rental turn into injuries, you may be able to sue your landlord for monetary compensation. As a personal injury lawyer handling premises liability in Missouri and Kansas for over 16 years, I have litigated hundreds of personal injury cases against landlords. Here are three options for compensation when you are injured because of your landlord’s negligence.
1. A direct case against your landlord.
The best option is a direct case against your landlord and/or the management company. Your landlord and management company owe you a duty to keep the common areas of your apartment complex safe. If they breach that duty and you get hurt as a result, they are liable to pay you money compensation for your injuries and damages.
2. A case against another tenant.
Depending on what caused your injuries, you may also have a case against another tenant in the complex. So long as they have renter’s insurance or the means to pay you money compensation, if another tenant caused or contributed to cause your injuries, she or he should be liable for your injuries and damages.
For example, if a neighbor’s dog gets loose in a common area and bites you, you would have a direct claim against that neighbor in addition to a claim against your landlord.
3. Make a claim under Missouri’s Tort Victim Compensation Fund.
Another option if your landlord or whoever was negligent does not have any insurance, is to make a claim under Missouri’s Tort Victim Compensation Fund. This is for Missouri residents only and provides compensation for injuries from negligence where there is no insurance. The process is fairly straightforward and provides compensation for medical bills and lost wages.
If you’ve been hurt because of your landlord’s negligence and are looking for ways to get monetary compensation, please reach out to us. We’ve been handling these cases for many years and have the experience and knowledge to try and get you the best result.