Millions of Minnesotans live in an apartment, townhouse or condominium where the property is overseen by a landlord. While all rental contracts are different, landlords are required to provide certain maintenance and upkeep in order to maintain the property and keep their renters safe. But what happens when the landlord fails to uphold this obligation and a tenant is injured? Below, we explain the process of filing a personal injury claim against a landlord in Minnesota.
Types Of Claims Against Landlords
The most common personal injury claim against a landlord is the slip and fall claim, especially in Minnesota where snow and ice can make public walkways and parking lots extra slick. Each city and municipality has different regulations that govern how quickly a property owner must remove snow and ice from their property, so you’ll want to reach out to an experienced attorney in your area to determine if the landlord did not remove the hazard within the given time period. For example, many cities give a property owner 24 hours from when snow stops falling in order to remove the hazard from walkways, otherwise their fault may be clear and obvious if a renter gets injured walking in the area.
With that said, snow and ice aren’t the only reasons for a slip and fall accident. If you walk into a public foyer that is wet after a rainstorm, you trip on an uneven section of walkway or frayed carpet in the hallway, or you fall down the stairs because the handrail hadn’t yet been installed, you may be able to file a personal injury claim if you were injured during a fall. Falls are far and away the most common personal injury claim against a property manager or landlord in Minnesota.
However, they aren’t the only types of personal injury claims against a landlord. Some other examples of situations where a tenant would be able to file an injury claim against a landlord include:
- Faulty electrical wiring in the unit
- Collapsed balcony
- Broken hand railings
- As a result of a fire
- Mold or other airborne illnesses
Starting A Personal Injury Claim Against Your Landlord
It’s important that you take a few steps in the wake of an injury to help your injury case against your landlord. For starters, unless you require immediate medical attention, take out your phone and take a few pictures of the scene of the accident. It’s unlikely you fell for no reason, so document any tripping or slipping hazards, or any other clear factors that contributed to your injury.
Next, have your injuries thoroughly documented by a medical professional. This will help give credence to your claim that you were actually injured in the accident and that you are owed compensation. Don’t delay in getting medical treatment either. We understand that injuries don’t always show up right away, but if you take a few days or a week to be seen by a doctor, the other side may argue that you weren’t truly as injured as you originally claimed because the accident did not require prompt medical attention.
The next step you’ll absolutely want to do is to contact an experienced personal injury law firm in your area. Even if it seems like the landlord is at fault, you’re going to want an expert in your corner building your case, because you know that the landlord and their insurance provider will have attorneys on their side. Don’t get bullied or have your injury minimized by the other side, bring your own attorney to the table and let them get you every penny you deserve.
A lawyer is also extremely helpful if the fault isn’t as obvious. If you have to prove that part of the building was structurally unsound or that a wiring issue or a mold problem was a landlord’s fault, you’ll need an attorney with access to expert witnesses like contractors, electricians and outside investigation agencies that can help prove that your version of events is correct. If an expert refutes your landlord’s story, it’s going to go a long way in helping you get compensation, and we can help bring those experts into your case.
So if you want to bring a case against your landlord, or you were injured on rental property and you’re wondering if you have a case against the landlord, reach out to the experienced attorneys at Hey Workers and let us review your case. If the landlord was at fault, we’ll do everything in our power to get you the compensation you deserve. For more information, give our office a call today at (844) 439-9675.
