Premises Liability — The Duties of Residential and Commercial Property Owners
In New Jersey, as in other states, the owner of residential or commercial property has a legal obligation to either maintain the premises in ways that minimize the risk of injury to legal visitors, or to take reasonable steps to put visitors on notice of potential safety risks. The duty can also apply to individuals who have responsibility for managing the property, including landlords or their agents.
If you or someone you love has been hurt on someone else’s property, the office of Harold J. Gerr, Attorney at Law has the skill, knowledge, experience and resources to help you pursue full and fair compensation for all your losses. To schedule a free initial consultation, call our office at 732-537-8570 (toll-free at 1-877-249-4600) or contact us by e-mail
The Obligations of a Property Owner
Because a property owner exercises control over the premises, the law imposes specific duties:
- The owner (or his/her agent) must reasonably monitor the property to learn of any potential safety risks. The law typically does not determine what is reasonable—that is usually left to a jury to decide. However, a property owner will typically be responsible for conditions that occur, if it’s reasonable to expect that they will. For example, if it’s reasonable to expect that ice will form on outside steps, a property owner will be responsible, even if the owner regularly monitored the steps and took action to remove the ice, if other actions could have been reasonably employed to prevent the accident
- For any risk that the owner is aware of (or should reasonably be aware of), the owner must either eliminate the risk—fix broken steps, repair damaged flooring, or remove slippery substances—or the owner must provide adequate warning of the dangers present. The owner may post signage warning of or block off access to known risks.
Contact the Slip and Fall Injury Attorneys at the office of Harold J. Gerr, Attorney at Law
Our attorneys provide a free initial consultation to people who have been injured in a slip and fall accident. To set up a meeting, contact us online or call us at 732-537-8570 (toll-free at 1-877-249-4600) for an appointment. We have offices in Freehold, Toms River and Point Pleasant.
