Slips & Falls: Hazards in Cottage Country
Slip, Trips & Falls at Rental Cabin and Cottages
As winter starts to settle in, many of us turn our eyes towards our summer holiday plans, picking out the perfect cottage rental for a hot-weather getaway. And while no one likes to imagine anything going wrong on their dream vacation, one slip on a lake pier or fall on unfamiliar cottage steps can ruin your carefully laid out plans.
A bad fall could do more than destroy a memory of a vacation on the lake, but could involve extensive physiotherapy treatments, lost income and emotional distress. In such cases, who is legally responsible for slips and falls on rented property?
In our previous slip and fall posts guides, we’ve explained who is liable for slips and falls on both private and public property. The same rules largely apply for vacation rentals. While the tenant may have some responsibility to maintain the premises, unsafe conditions that were not fixed or disclosed to the tenant before leasing the property could result in the owner or property maintenance company being held liable for any injuries that occur on the premises.
Cottage rental agreements often include liability waivers in favour of the property owner, but although such waivers can protect owners to a limited extent, they still owe people who enter their property (including renters) a duty of care. Don’t assume that the agreement that you signed prevents you from pursuing a claim if you are injured due to the condition of your holiday rental property without seeking advice from an experienced law firm.