Property owners have a legal responsibility to make sure their property — including buildings, parking lots, driveways, stairs and sidewalks — are reasonably safe for others.
Property owners can be held liable if someone is assaulted or otherwise hurt due to negligent security measures or negligent building maintenance.
The following are a handful of establishments that qualify as premises:
- Restaurants
- Hardware stores
- Supermarkets
- Office buildings
- Department stores
- Other people’s homes
- Malls and sidewalks in front of malls
- Parking lots
- Streets and driving areas upon the property
Premises Liability Cases
A premises liability case will usually contain the following elements:
- The party responsible for the property that contained the condition (This is sometimes the owner, sometimes the renter or lessee, and sometimes both.)
- If the condition was known by the party responsible for the property and if the party did not take adequate steps to correct the condition.
- If the condition was present and apparent for a period of time in which the party responsible for the property should reasonably have been aware of the condition and corrected the problem.