Fallen Down Stairs at Home? Get Free Legal Advice
Can I Claim Compensation From Landlord for Falling Down the Stairs?
A recent client, Mrs D, was an elderly resident at a private block of flats where she had lived as a tenant for many years. One evening she was walking down the stairs when the lights went out, leaving her stranded half way down the staircase in pitch darkness. The automatic sensors for the staircase and hallway lights were not working properly, a problem that had been reported to the management company a few weeks before.
Mrs D carried on her descent, but misjudged a step, lost her footing and fell down their stairs. Another resident heard her calls for help, and came to her assistance. As she could not walk and was in severe pain an ambulance was called, and Mrs D was taken to hospital, where an X-ray showed that she had broken her leg. It took her over three months to recover, and she was forced to use a wheelchair and crutches throughout her rehabilitation.
- Claim Against Landlord for Poor Lighting on Staircase
- Landlords’ Responsibility for Safety of Staircases and Bannisters
- Case Study: Fall Caused by Broken Handrail on Stairs
- Our Experience With Accidents at Home
- The Claims Process
- Your Compensation
Under their mandatory building insurance policy, the management company was covered for public liability accidents, and after they acknowledged responsibility for Mrs D's injury, she received a compensation settlement of £3,500.
Tenants can expect that staircases and bannisters will be in a state of good repair when they move into a rented property and kept that way for the duration of the tenancy agreement. When a disrepair issue is reported to a landlord, they must act to deal with it in a timely manner, and at least address a tenant’s concerns within 20 working days. Elderly tenants, in particular, are at risk from rotten floorboards, loose carpeting and missing or damaged bannisters causing them to fall down the stairs, and landlords need to be aware of the vulnerability of such tenants when handling reported disrepair issues at their properties.
Mr P damaged his wrist and shoulder in the accident, forcing him to take a week off work and seek specialist medical attention. When he heard about the situation regarding the handrail from another tenant at the block, he contacted our firm for legal advice, and subsequently decided to make a personal injury claim against his landlord. In correspondence with the landlord's insurers, we pointed out that landlords are obliged to keep communal areas at rented properties in a state of good repair to ensure that tenants are kept reasonably safe from the possibility of getting injured. The landlord had been informed about the problem with the handrail, but no action had been taken and, most importantly, no warning sign had been posted concerning the potential danger, action that would most likely have prevented Mr P's fall. A compensation settlement of £2,750 was eventually agreed for Mr P's injury caused by the broken handrail.
The amount of compensation you receive will depend on the severity of your injuries and the likelihood that you’ll make a full recovery. We’ll seek expert opinions on what care you’ll need to ensure that the compensation we claim will be sufficient.
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Every year we help over a thousand injured people make claims for compensation on a no win no fee basis. Many are tenants claiming against their landlords.
We help tenants claim for personal injury, such as slips, falls and injuries caused by unsafe structures.
Our service is designed to be easy to use: meetings by phone & email, local medical appointments, sign documents online, or visit our city centre offices.
Our solicitors are very experienced having worked at the firm for an average of 18 years.
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Accident Claims Caused by Disrepair We Have Won:
- Slips and Trips on Unsafe Steps
- Injuries From Defective Home Appliances
- Trips on Damaged or Loose Carpeting
- Injuries From Collapsing Ceilings
- Dangerous Fixtures and Furnishings
- Slipping Accidents at Rented Properties
- Accidents in Communal Areas
Accident and Disrepair Topics:
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