Commercial Landlord Liability
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April, 2007

COMMERCIAL LANDLORD SUED FOR UNSAFE CONDITIONS

            A silkscreen printing company with one employee rented a building from a commercial landlord. The employee suffered permanent injuries after falling from the stairs leading to the basement of the building. In the ensuing lawsuit against the landlord, the employee alleged that the fall happened because the stairs were wobbly, had no handrail, and had low ceiling clearance. The court found that the landlord had no liability.

            Bearing in mind that there was no direct contractual relationship between the employee and the landlord, there could be a duty of care running from the landlord to a third party (such as the employee) only in one of two circumstances: if the landlord bound itself by contract (i.e., in the lease) to make repairs and then did so negligently, or if the dangerous defect was in an area over which the landlord retained control, such as a common area. The case before the court presented neither of these circumstances.

            The fall occurred in an area clearly leased and controlled by the tenant. In unambiguous language, the lease provided that the tenant would have exclusive control of the premises and that the tenant had the obligation to maintain the building at its own expense. It was necessary under the terms of the lease for the landlord to approve of repairs made by the tenant, and the landlord reserved the right to come onto the premises to make repairs that were “compatible with the lessee’s use of the premises.” Nonetheless, the result of the negotiations between the landlord and tenant, which were small entities with equal bargaining power, was that the responsibility for maintaining the building in a safe condition fell to the tenant, not the landlord. The employee’s remedies for his injuries were effectively limited to workers’ compensation benefits, for which he was qualified and which he had begun to receive.

            It made all the difference to the outcome that the lease was commercial, rather than residential. A commercial lease is essentially a business transaction, a contract for possession of property, and the “ancient” common‑law rule is still observed, in keeping with the maxim “let the buyer (tenant) beware.” In such a case, the terms of the agreement are most important.

            By contrast, with regard to residential leases, the law has evolved more favorably for tenants, for various public policy reasons, including disparity in bargaining power between the parties. A duty of care for residential landlords need not be found in the fine print of a lease. Rather, a residential landlord is bound to act as a reasonable person would under all of the surrounding circumstances, including the likelihood of injuries, the probable seriousness of such injuries, and the burden of reducing or avoiding that risk. In short, the employee would have fared better in court if the stairs from which he fell had been in a rented apartment.

 

 

 

All legal articles in this site are general and informative.  The articles or any other information on this site is not legal advice nor is any information warranted or guaranteed.   Laws change over time and in different localities and jurisdictions laws may be different from any laws mentioned on this site.  It is advisable that you consult an attorney and or an accountant in the area where your business will be located.   

Copyright © E. Stassinos, Esq. 2005. All Rights Reserved.

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