Georgia law requires apartment complex owners to keep their properties reasonably safe from criminal activity, including sexual assaults and rape. On properties where there are known dangerous criminal activity, the property owner or operator of an apartment complex may be held liable for not protecting tenants or taking necessary steps to ensure tenants' safety.
In this blog post, we will discuss what constitutes rape and sexual assault in an apartment complex setting and how a property owner or operator can be held liable for not preventing such heinous acts from happening on their watch.
Apartment Complex Rape and Sexual Assault
There are certain security measures that property owners can take to prevent heinous crimes such as the rape and sexual assault of tenants and visitors. Unfortunately, apartment complex owners can sometimes value profit over safety, and crimes usually occur on properties where the owners have failed to implement proper security measures in order to save money. A lot of times, you see big corporations or private equity firms owning and operating apartment complexes without any true regard for tenant safety. Normally, these types of apartment complexes are not only dangerous but are also often accompanied by generally poor living conditions that landlords refuse to fix. This lack of care includes failing to protect tenants and visitors from violent crimes.
In unsafe apartment complexes that have known violent criminal activity, property owners can do many things to prevent crimes from occurring. Some safety and security measures include:
- Adequate lighting
- Fencing
- Gated entry
- Security patrol
- Warning signs are posted for residents and visitors
- Criminal background checks for residents, employees, and others
- Installing proper locks for doors and windows
- Surveillance cameras
Where apartment complex owners know that there are past violent crimes and fail to take reasonable measures to protect people from those crimes, they can be responsible to crime victims for the injuries and pain and suffering that result.
The Property Owner or Operator May Be Liable
If you or someone you know has been the victim of rape or sexual assault in an apartment complex, you may be able to bring a civil claim against the property owner for failing to protect you from being a victim of crime.
In order to prove liability, it must be shown that the property owner or operator knew or should have known that there was a risk of rape or sexual assault and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it from happening.
Sadly, people who do not have the ability to fight these powerful property owners are disproportionately victims of crime, and these property owners know that they can often get away with doing the bare minimum. That is where we come in to fight for what is fair and force apartment complex owners to think twice about allowing people to be hurt on their property. If you have been the victim of rape or sexual assault in an apartment complex, contact our experienced personal injury attorney at Davis Injury Firm today to discuss your legal options. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering, and more.
Contact the skilled team at Davis Injury Firm right away by calling (404) 647-0722. If you prefer, you can also fill out the online contact form, and someone from our team will reach out to you right away.