New York City Apartment Building Injury Lawyer
Apartment buildings in New York City are some of the most densely occupied structures anywhere in the world. Millions of residents pass through lobbies, stairwells, hallways, and common areas every single day, trusting that the building they call home has been maintained to a basic standard of safety. When that trust is broken and someone gets hurt, the consequences can be severe: fractured bones, spinal injuries, head trauma, and worse. A New York City apartment building injury lawyer at Cohan Law Firm works to hold negligent property owners accountable when the condition of a building causes real harm to real people.
New York places meaningful legal obligations on landlords, building owners, and property managers. Those obligations cover everything from lighting in common areas to the structural integrity of staircases to the security measures that protect tenants from criminal intrusion. When an owner or manager cuts corners on maintenance, ignores repeated complaints from tenants, or fails to fix a known hazard, the law provides a path to compensation. That path is rarely simple, and landlords in this city typically have legal teams working to minimize what they pay out. That is exactly the kind of opposition we are built to take on.
The injuries we see in apartment building cases often do not announce themselves as serious right away. A tenant who slips on a wet lobby floor may feel bruised initially, only to discover days later that they have a herniated disc or a fracture that requires surgery. Delays in seeking care and delays in reaching an attorney can both work against you. The evidence that proves a landlord knew about a dangerous condition, the work orders that were ignored, the complaints that went unanswered, starts to disappear quickly after an incident.
Hazards That Lead to Apartment Building Injuries in NYC
- Defective or Poorly Maintained Staircases: Broken handrails, uneven steps, missing treads, and loose carpeting on stairways are among the most common sources of serious falls in residential buildings. NYC building codes require handrails on all stairways and set minimum standards for step dimensions and surface conditions that landlords routinely allow to deteriorate.
- Inadequate Lighting in Common Areas: Dark hallways, unlit stairwells, and broken entrance lighting are not just inconvenient. They are hazardous conditions that increase the risk of falls and can also make tenants more vulnerable to criminal assault. New York landlords are required to maintain adequate lighting in common areas under the Multiple Dwelling Law and the Housing Maintenance Code.
- Elevator Accidents and Malfunctions: Elevator doors that close too quickly, cabins that do not level correctly with the floor, sudden drops, and mechanical failures can cause serious injury or death. The NYC Department of Buildings requires regular elevator inspections, and violations on record can be critical evidence in a personal injury claim.
- Negligent Security and Criminal Attacks: When a building owner fails to maintain working locks on exterior doors, ignores broken intercom systems, or disregards prior incidents of crime in the building or surrounding area, they can be held liable when a tenant or guest is the victim of an assault, robbery, or other violent crime. Negligent security claims in NYC often hinge on whether the owner had notice of the risk and failed to act.
- Lead Paint and Toxic Exposure Injuries: Older residential buildings throughout the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem still contain lead paint hazards, particularly in units with children. Local Law 1 of 2004 imposes specific duties on landlords to remediate lead paint conditions. Violations of these duties that result in a child’s elevated blood lead levels can support a significant personal injury claim.
- Slip and Falls on Wet or Icy Surfaces: Building entrances, interior lobbies, and exterior walkways that become slippery due to rain, snow, ice, or cleaning without proper warning signs are the source of many of the apartment building injury cases we handle. Owners have an obligation to address these conditions within a reasonable time and to warn tenants of hazards they cannot immediately fix.
- Structural Failures and Falling Debris: Crumbling facade materials, collapsing ceilings, falling plaster, and defective balcony railings have caused catastrophic injuries in New York City buildings. Many of these incidents happen with no warning, leaving victims with devastating fractures, crush injuries, or traumatic brain injuries.
Why Cohan Law Firm for Apartment Building Injury Claims
Handling a premises liability claim against a New York City building owner requires a specific combination of legal knowledge, investigative capability, and the willingness to go up against well-funded defense teams. Cohan Law Firm has recovered over $100 million for accident and injury victims across New York City, and our attorneys come from large firm backgrounds that give us a real understanding of how the defense side approaches these cases.
Several of our attorneys hold membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which is reserved for trial lawyers who have secured verdicts or settlements of $1 million or more. That kind of track record matters in apartment building injury cases because landlords and their insurers make calculated decisions about settlement value. When they know the firm on the other side has actually tried cases and won at that level, the negotiation dynamic changes. We have earned more than 550 five-star client reviews from people who came to us in difficult moments and felt, throughout the process, that they were treated with respect and kept genuinely informed. The themes that run through those reviews are consistent: responsiveness, honesty, and real results.
We also use AI-powered legal technology to analyze evidence faster and identify patterns that insurers and property owners hope get overlooked. In apartment building cases, that means examining building inspection histories, violation records from the NYC Department of Buildings, and maintenance logs more efficiently and thoroughly than most firms can manage. We handle everything digitally when that serves the client, meaning you can hire us and move your case forward without having to travel to our office while you are still recovering from your injuries.
What Tenants and Visitors Should Do After an Apartment Building Injury
The steps you take in the hours and days after an injury in a New York City apartment building can have a significant impact on the strength of your eventual claim. Start by documenting the scene before anything is changed. If you are physically able, photograph the exact condition that caused your injury, whether that is a broken step, a slippery floor, a broken lock, or a dark hallway. Take photos from multiple angles. If there are witnesses, get their names and contact information before they leave the area.
Report the incident to your building superintendent or landlord in writing. An email or text message creates a timestamped record that the owner had notice of the accident. This matters because premises liability cases in New York often turn on whether the landlord had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition before the injury occurred. A written report you made to management is contemporaneous evidence that supports your claim.
Get medical care immediately, even if you feel like the injury might not be serious. Emergency rooms at NYC Health + Hospitals facilities across the boroughs, including Bellevue, Lincoln, Kings County, and Queens Hospital Center, as well as private hospitals like NewYork-Presbyterian and NYU Langone, can document your injuries in a medical record that becomes a foundation of your case. Gaps between the incident and your first medical visit create openings for insurance adjusters to argue that your injuries were not caused by the accident.
Do not communicate directly with the building owner’s insurance carrier without speaking to an attorney first. Adjusters may reach out quickly after an incident and request a recorded statement. What feels like a routine call is often an opportunity for the insurer to gather information they can use to limit your claim. Politely decline and consult a New York City apartment building injury attorney before you say anything.
Preserve any documentation you have that speaks to the history of the dangerous condition. If you or other tenants previously complained to management about the hazard, save those texts, emails, or any written responses. If the building has a history of violations from the NYC Department of Buildings or NYC Housing Preservation and Development, that public record can be pulled and used as evidence. Violation lookups are available through the NYC Buildings Information System, which tracks inspection results and open violations by address.
New York’s statute of limitations for personal injury cases is generally three years from the date of the injury. However, there are important exceptions that can shorten that window significantly. If your building is owned by a government entity or public housing authority, like the New York City Housing Authority, you may face a notice of claim requirement with a deadline as short as 90 days after the injury. Missing that deadline can eliminate your ability to recover entirely. Do not assume you have time to spare.
How Landlord Liability Actually Works in New York Apartment Building Cases
New York law imposes on property owners a duty to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. In the context of apartment buildings, that duty is codified in part through the New York City Housing Maintenance Code, the Multiple Dwelling Law, and a body of case law that defines when a landlord’s failure to act constitutes negligence.
A landlord does not automatically become liable every time someone is injured on the property. The injured person must show that the dangerous condition either was created by the owner or that the owner knew or should have known about it and had a reasonable opportunity to fix it. That second category is often called constructive notice, and building the case for it requires evidence: records of prior complaints, photographs showing the condition existed for a long time, testimony from other tenants, or violation notices from city agencies that predate the accident.
When the landlord owns a large residential building with a management company handling day-to-day operations, both the owner and the management company may have legal exposure. In some cases, the company responsible for maintaining a particular system, like an elevator maintenance contractor or a cleaning service, can also share liability if their negligence contributed to the hazardous condition. Identifying all potentially responsible parties is one of the first things an NYC apartment building injury attorney at our firm does when evaluating a case.
Comparative fault is another concept that regularly comes up in apartment building cases. If the building owner claims that the injured person was partially responsible for the accident, a jury can apportion fault between the parties. Under New York’s pure comparative fault rule, even a plaintiff who is found to share some responsibility for an accident can still recover damages, reduced proportionally by their percentage of fault. Defense attorneys routinely try to push blame onto the injured person. We anticipate those arguments and build cases designed to refute them.
Questions Tenants and Injury Victims Ask About Apartment Building Claims
Can I sue my landlord for an injury that happened in a common area of my building?
Yes. Common areas like lobbies, hallways, stairwells, laundry rooms, and parking areas are the building owner’s responsibility to maintain. If a hazardous condition in one of those spaces caused your injury, and the landlord either created the condition or had notice of it and failed to address it, you have grounds for a premises liability claim. The fact that you are a tenant does not limit your right to bring a claim against your own landlord.
What if I was injured in someone else’s apartment, not my own?
The location within the building matters primarily in terms of who bears responsibility. If the condition that caused your injury was in a common area, the building owner carries the primary duty. If you were injured inside a private unit due to a condition that the tenant of that unit created or maintained, the tenant themselves may bear liability. If the condition was something the landlord was responsible for fixing, like a leaking pipe or structural defect within the apartment, the owner can still face liability even for injuries inside individual units.
My building has a long history of violations. Does that help my case?
It can be very helpful. Documented violations from the NYC Department of Buildings or Housing Preservation and Development that relate to the condition that injured you are evidence of constructive notice. If a violation was issued, the landlord cannot credibly claim they had no idea the problem existed. That record can be especially powerful when the violation was issued before your accident and was left unaddressed.
What if a security failure led to me being assaulted in my building?
Negligent security cases against New York landlords are viable when the attack was reasonably foreseeable and the owner failed to take appropriate precautions. Evidence of prior criminal incidents in the building or the surrounding area, broken exterior door locks, non-functioning intercoms, absence of surveillance cameras in areas with known risks, all of these can support the foreseeability argument. These cases are fact-specific and require careful investigation.
The super told me the dangerous condition had been there for months. Is that statement useful?
Statements by building employees about how long a condition existed are potentially valuable evidence because they can establish that the landlord had notice well before your accident. Those statements should be preserved carefully. If a case moves toward litigation, witnesses can be deposed under oath. Speak with an attorney quickly so that these avenues can be identified and preserved before memories fade or personnel changes.
My building is a NYCHA property. Does that change things?
Yes, significantly. The New York City Housing Authority is a public entity, and claims against NYCHA are governed by different procedural rules than claims against private landlords. A notice of claim must be filed with NYCHA within 90 days of the accident. Missing that deadline can permanently bar your claim. NYCHA cases also proceed through different administrative and legal channels. If your injury occurred in a public housing development, consult an attorney immediately given how short that filing window is.
I have renters insurance. Should I make a claim through my own policy first?
Your renters insurance may provide some coverage for medical expenses or personal property damage, but it is a separate question from whether the landlord is liable for your injuries. Filing through your own policy does not prevent you from pursuing a claim against the responsible property owner. Speak with an attorney before making any insurance claim so you understand how the different coverage sources interact and whether any statements you make could affect your ability to recover from the at-fault party.
Can I recover lost wages if I missed work because of an apartment building injury?
Lost wages are a recoverable category of damages in a premises liability claim in New York. If your injury prevented you from working, either temporarily or permanently, those economic losses form part of your overall claim. Documentation from your employer regarding your hours, salary, and missed time, combined with medical records that support the connection between your injury and your inability to work, are the foundation of that portion of the case.
The building owner is claiming the injury was my fault for not watching where I was going. How is that handled?
This is a standard defense tactic in premises liability cases. New York uses a pure comparative fault system, which means even if a jury finds that you were partially at fault, you can still recover the remaining percentage of your damages from the building owner. The argument that a tenant was not paying attention does not excuse an owner from maintaining a safe property. Our job is to show the jury why the condition itself was the primary cause of the injury.
Does it matter whether I rent or own my unit in the building where I was injured?
Your status as a tenant, a unit owner in a co-op or condo, or a visitor does not change the building owner’s fundamental duty to maintain common areas safely. Co-op and condominium situations can be more complex because the board and individual unit owners may share different aspects of maintenance responsibility, but the legal framework for pursuing a claim still exists. These cases require careful analysis of the building’s governing documents and the specific facts of the incident.
Representing Apartment Building Injury Victims Across New York City and the Surrounding Areas
Cohan Law Firm handles apartment building injury claims throughout all five boroughs of New York City, from neighborhoods across Manhattan including the Upper West Side, East Harlem, Washington Heights, Chelsea, and the Lower East Side, to communities throughout Brooklyn such as Crown Heights, Flatbush, Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, Sunset Park, and Williamsburg. We represent clients from the Bronx neighborhoods of Fordham, Mott Haven, Hunts Point, Riverdale, and Co-op City, and from Queens communities including Flushing, Jamaica, Astoria, Jackson Heights, and Far Rockaway. Staten Island residents in areas like St. George, New Springville, and Stapleton also turn to our firm after building-related injuries.
Our representation extends beyond the city limits into the broader New York metropolitan region. We serve clients from Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and other Westchester communities, as well as Long Island residents in Nassau and Suffolk counties who have been injured in apartment buildings and residential complexes. Whether the building involved is a six-floor walkup in Harlem, a large residential tower in Long Island City, or a managed complex in the South Bronx, our team applies the same level of preparation and attention to building the strongest possible case. The landlords and property managers who own and operate residential buildings throughout this region all have legal teams ready to defend them, and our firm is built to match that opposition wherever our clients need us.
Talk to a New York City Apartment Building Injury Attorney Today
When a landlord’s failure to maintain a safe property leaves you with serious injuries, medical bills, and lost income, the legal system provides a path to accountability. The attorneys at Cohan Law Firm have the experience, resources, and track record to take on building owners and their insurers on your behalf. We handle everything from the initial investigation through final resolution, keeping you informed at every stage and handling the legal side while you focus on recovery.
Our consultations are free and confidential, and we work on a contingency basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover for you. Hablamos Espanol. If you were hurt in a New York City apartment building and are looking for a New York City apartment building injury attorney who will take your case seriously, call Cohan Law Firm today. Do not wait. The sooner we can begin gathering evidence and building your claim, the stronger your position will be.