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You Can Learn From My Mistakes

After being involved in a serious car accident, I really believed that my insurance company would take care of everything. It wasn't until I finally received their settlement offer that I realized they were not on my side at all. This is when I got wise and consulted a personal injury lawyer. It was the best decision I could have made. Thanks to my attorney, not only did I learn a lot about personal injury law, but I actually got the compensation that I needed and deserved. I made a lot of mistakes after my accident, but I also learned a lot along the way. It is my hope that this blog will allow other accident victims to learn from common mistakes and get the information they need to be successful in their own personal injury claims.

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You Can Learn From My Mistakes

Gig Economy Landlords Can't Ignore Health And Safety Responsibilities

by Riley Sanchez

Renting out a room from an online "gig economy" service seems like a great way to save money. These services allow homeowners and apartment dwellers to rent out a spare room priced at the fraction what hotels charge. Unfortunately, the newbie landlords might not be familiar with all the steps required to provide safe accommodations. Did you rent a room and suffer injuries due to the gig landlord's negligence? If so, you may be able to recover damages.

A Safe Living Environment

A homeowner can't take the attitude, "You get what you pay for, so don't complain." The living arrangement must be safe for all guests. And there are no little, inconsequential things when it comes to safety. Broken stair railings and other hazards reflect examples of apparent liabilities. Not-so-obvious dangers are liabilities, too. Sloppy living falls under the negligence umbrella. So, leaving toys, clothes, or other objects on the floors around the home creates slip-and-fall risks. Remember, the landlord has a responsibility to keep a place clean, orderly, and safe.

Filth, Dirt, and Germs Mean Liabilities

Due to a lack of cleanliness, some rooms may be outright gross. Bathrooms, in particular, take a turn for the terrible when many people use them, and no one is cleaning up afterward. Dirty bathrooms and kitchens then become breeding grounds for staph bacteria. Infections with this bacteria may lead to life-threatening sicknesses. Allowing an environment to breed harmful bacteria due to laziness or thriftiness is negligence.

Ignoring Complaints and Concerns

When tenants, even short-term ones, make complaints about health and safety matters, landlords shouldn't ignore them. Pointing out trip hazards and dirty living conditionings means the landlord is now aware and has a duty to act. Documented examples of a failure to perform, i.e., detailed bad reviews, may reveal a gross lack of care on the landlord's part.

Booking Services and Shared Negligence

The online booking sites allow renters to rate landlords. When the landlords rack up bad reviews and complaints, the website might drop them. When the site opts to keep the homeowner onboard despite public outcries about potential liabilities, the booking service may share in the negligence. So, recovering damages from the service becomes a possibility. Likely, the service carries a liability policy to cover claims. Sometimes, the homeowner/apartment dweller's policy lacks a room-for-rent rider. So, the landlord's insurance company might be off the hook. At least with the booking service, the potential to settle an insurance claim probably still exists.

Regardless of the circumstances, anyone injured due to a gig landlord's negligence should discuss the case with a personal injury lawyer. Don't ignore your legal rights to recover damages.

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