When living in an apartment building, neighbors have to be extremely mindful not to infringe on their cohabitants. When residing in an apartment building, certain guidelines and rules are in place to protect not only the owner's property but the tenant's safety and well being. In the event a dog bite occurs on the premises of a rental property, more than one party can be held liable for the damages suffered from an animal attack. If negligence is proven on the part of the dog owner and the property owner then both parties could be held responsible.
Per Florida law, a landlord has a duty to protect its tenants in connection with a vicious dog of which the landlord has knowledge. In White v. Whitworth, 509 So. 2d 378, 380 (Fla. 4th DCA 1987), the court stated:
"A landlord who recognizes and assumes the duty to protect co-tenants from dangerous propensities of a tenant's pet is required to undertake reasonable precautions to protect co-tenants from reasonably foreseeable injury occasioned thereby."
If the lease agreement includes rules which specifically prohibit certain breeds of dogs, the landlord can be held liable for his or her failure to enforce those rules despite knowledge that prohibited dogs reside upon the premises.
If you or a loved one has been attacked by an animal, contact Orlando Personal Injury Attorney Jeffrey Sexton at 888-293-1144 or at www.sextonlaw.com.
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