Assaults in apartment complexes are often crimes of opportunity. While no one can guarantee the safety of any location, many attacks could be avoided if landlords took proper security precautions.
In Georgia, landlords and building managers can be held to bear some responsibility for assaults taking place on their property if their negligence allowed the attack to happen. Crime victims can sue for damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
While perpetrators rarely have enough assets to pay damage claims, apartment owners carry liability insurance. Those policies are there to pay damage claims of people who are injured as a result of property owner negligence. This area of law is known as premises liability.
Examples of negligence that can allow rapes and other attacks to occur on apartment grounds include:
- Inadequate security, despite a known risk of attacks to renters and guests
- Inadequate lighting
- Broken locks on windows and doors
- Failure to install security cameras
To recover compensation for damages, you must show that the landlord or building manager was aware of the risk of attack and did not take reasonable steps to assure the safety of renters and guests. When a property owner turns a blind eye to known dangers, it can be forced to pay compensation to crime victims.
The law firm of Isenberg & Hewitt, PC represents clients in the Atlanta Metro area who are injured due to negligent security and other types of unsafe property conditions.