Cambridge Negligent Security Claims – Apartments

Striking out on your own can be incredibly exciting and rewarding, especially in a big city like Boston and its surrounding metropolis areas. Roughly half the people living in the Greater Boston Area reside in apartment units, which unfortunately means that, statistically, some of them will encounter problems caused by negligent security. If you were injured or otherwise affected by an incident in your apartment that could have been prevented, contact the Cambridge law firm of Altman & Altman LLP today.

The home is supposed to be a place of tranquility and restoration – a haven from the bustling world outside that provides peace of mind and a spot to unwind after long days at work or anything else that stresses you out. But when that tranquility is taken from you by someone else – whether they burglarized your home, assaulted you or otherwise injured you – it can be physically consequential or emotionally traumatizing.

Apartment building owners and condo proprietors have an important responsibility to keep their tenants safe from forces that may seek to harm them. This goes beyond simply having a spotlight outside the front door to prevent them from being pickpocketed. Negligent or nonexistent security is no excuse for allowing an incident to occur that harms you, and we can hold such negligent property owners accountable if such an event does happen.

What Could Constitute Negligent Security?

Any factor related to the security of your building that fails which, as a result, leads to an incident that could have been prevented if that security was properly facilitated could constitute negligent security. Negligent security does not just have to involve human beings and human error, but can also include maintenance issues, technological malfunctions and a lack of critical thinking and foresight on the part of the property owner.

Essentially, if the property owner reasonably could have taken steps to prevent an incident that caused an injury to you or a loved one – or if somebody whose job is to ensure your safety while in your apartment building fails to properly perform that job – you may have a legitimate case to pursue a negligent security claim.

Some example of negligent security happening in an apartment building or condo complex could include:

• A property owner fails to maintain the condition of their building, allowing the locks on exterior doors to become rusted and faulty. A criminal breaks in and makes their way through the apartments inside, knocking you out in the process and taking your belongings. This would not have been possible if basic precautions were taken.
• Following a robbery/assault, you learn that cameras set up around the apartment building do not function, have no tapes in them or are technologically malfunctioning and cannot provide any means to catch the perpetrator. The property owner has a responsibility to either maintain the cameras or inform tenants they aren’t actually going to help deter crimes.
• A security guard for your condo building slacks off on the job and falls asleep or is too distracted by their cell phone to notice suspicious characters entering the building, and they proceed to cause chaos in your apartment.
• A buzzer or automated identification reading system is left malfunctioning, allowing anybody to enter the building without any oversight.

Negligent Security is no Security

The entire point of having security safeguards in place is to prevent possible tragedies from occurring in the first place. If those safeguards fail – or if those in charge of ensuring those safeguards are negligent in that responsibility – you could be dealing with the tragic consequences.

Outside of the physical injuries you may suffer due to negligent security, the loss of security in your own home is something that can cause much more significant mental damage on top of the injuries you may have to physically heal from. The personal injury attorneys at Altman & Altman LLP have over 50 years of experience helping our clients seize back some of the peace of mind they have lost due to negligent acts of security, and we can help you too.

Contact us online or call for a free consultation to go over the details of your case today at 617-492-3000 or toll-free at 800-481-6199. We are available 24/7.