Apartment Building Injuries in Houston | Apartment Accident Lawyers
- Attorney Niles J. Sneed
- Jan 21
- 12 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
If you were injured at an apartment building here in Houston, call Sneed & Mitchell today at (713)800-6676 today for a FREE consultation. Our Houston Apartment Complex accident lawyers serve clients throughout Harris County.
Victims of premises liability accidents often face pain, medical bills, missed wages, and are unsure about what to do next, but we can help. At Sneed & Mitchell LLP, we represent injured tenants, guests, or visitors harmed by the negligent actions of building owners and management companies and will hold them accountable for their unsafe actions.
With over 50 years of local experience and many 7 and 8-figure settlements and trial verdicts in cases involving catastrophic injuries, Sneed & Mitchell LLP's is widely recognized as Houston's most trusted Apartment Accident Attorneys. Our award-winning attorneys are consistently ranked amongst the best in Texas by our colleagues and have won multiple Top Verdict Distinctions for our outstanding trial work. Let us make a difference in your life, starting today.
Injured at a Houston Apartment or Building? You Have Legal Rights
If you were injured at an apartment complex or residential building in Houston, Texas, you have specific and enforceable legal rights. Accident situations that occur within apartment buildings or throughout the premises are not routine injury claims since they often involve serious, permanent, or catastrophic harm, but the law provides powerful tools to protect injured tenants and visitors.
You generally have the right to:
Preserve critical evidence. This is the right to send a litigation hold requesting preservation of evidence such as surveillance videos, maintenance records, incident reports, contractor documentation, applicable bills and receipts, company emails, post-accident reports, and more.
File a personal injury lawsuit. Filing a civil lawsuit seeking compensation for your damages against the property owner, management company, or controlling entities is a right here in Texas and affords you a proper process to have your claims heard and appreciated..
Demand a jury trial. The right to a jury trial here in Harris County allows peers of the community to determine the proper value of your injuries and also weigh the evidence proffered to support your claims.
Each of these rights helps provide you an efficient and legally protected of seeking remuneration for how the accident has impacted your life. As additional insight, apartment complexes and large residential properties often carry general liability insurance and umbrella policies with coverage limits that often exceed $1 million. But because of this, insurance adjusters and the defense attorneys acting to protect their client often go great lengths to undervalue or deny liability and the extent of your injuries. Your right to retain counsel and utilizes the tools within the litigation process helps ensure your injuries, losses, and future needs are taken seriously.
Recent $3.5 Million Dollar Settlement In Apartment Accident Case
On January 15, 2026, Sneed & Mitchell LLP secured a massive $3.5 million recovery for a woman who fell through a broken second-floor apartment railing, suffering a complex ankle fracture. The apartment complex violated State building codes by failing to properly maintain the railing despite its dilapidated condition, subjecting our client to harm she should have never encountered. We have successfully handled many cases like this cases like and they are all clear examples of how apartment negligence can cause life-altering injuries, but experienced legal representation can hold property owners fully accountable for your losses.
Common Injuries Within Apartment Buildings
In most cases, the injuries our clients suffer within apartment complexes greatly alter their lives. Catastrophic injuries are commonplace when building owners and their management companies prioritze profit over their health and safety of their tenants and guests.
Our firm has won over $50 million for clients suffering injuries such as, but not limited to, the following:
Figuring out what to do next after after suffering serious harm within a multi-family property and be full uncertainty and unanswered questions. At Sneed The stakes, we take our responsibility to help you recover physically, emotionally, and financially after the tragic event. We do everything within our power to make you whole and help get our clients the best medical care and the largest recoveries possible here in Houston.
How Accidents Happen In Apartment Complexes
Throughout Houston, some of the more common landlord and property management violations that can lead to apartment injury claims include the following:
Failure to maintain habitable living conditions, this includes unsafe flooring, exposed wiring, mold growth, structural defects, or broken fixtures that create a risk of injury
Bedbug or pest infestations caused by landlord neglect, leading to bites, infections, allergic reactions, or long-term health issues
Slip, trip, and fall accidents caused by wet or slippery floors, cracked sidewalks, uneven walkways, loose carpeting, or poorly maintained parking lots
Failure to keep common areas safe, including stairwells, hallways, balconies, terraces, and entryways that are poorly lit, obstructed, or structurally unsound
Swimming pool accidents, including drownings, slip-and-fall injuries, lack of proper fencing, broken pool equipment, or failure to comply with swimming pool safety regulations
Falling objects, such as ceiling collapses, loose fixtures, unsecured balconies, or debris falling from upper levels
Dangerous or poorly maintained equipment, including broken gates, malfunctioning elevators, defective laundry machines, or unsafe playground equipment
Faulty parking lots and sidewalks, including potholes, missing curbs, inadequate lighting, and poorly marked pedestrian areas
Hot tub and spa injuries, often caused by slippery surfaces, broken steps, excessive water temperatures, or improper maintenance
Gym and fitness center injuries, resulting from defective equipment, lack of maintenance, overcrowding, or failure to post safety instructions
Dog bites or animal attacks on the premises, particularly when landlords knew of a dangerous animal and failed to take reasonable steps to protect residents and visitors
Broken or missing handrails and stairway defects, which can lead to serious falls, especially on upper floors or exterior staircases
Negligent security, including failure to provide adequate lighting, functioning locks, gated access, or security measures in areas with known criminal activity. In these cases a security company or third party contract company could also be held legally responsible.
Fire hazards and safety violations, this involves blocked exits, non-functioning smoke detectors, or failure to maintain proper fire suppression systems
Water-related hazards, including plumbing failures, leaky ceilings, or standing water that creates slip hazards or electrical risks
Each of these conditions may form the basis of a premises liability claim if the apartment complex knew, or should have known, about the danger and failed to take reasonable steps to correct it.
If you were injured due to unsafe conditions at a residential complex, speaking with an experienced premises liability attorney can help determine whether you have valid grounds to pursue compensation against the building owners and managers.
The Legal Compensation Available To Victims
Texas law allows plaintiffs that suffered injuries in premises liablity accidents to pursue both economic and non-economic compensation for their damages. When preparing your case, it is essential for you and your attorney to identify and document each type of loss that stems from the incident.
Economic Damages
Medical Expenses: Includes emergency care, any related surgeries, hospitalization costs, prosthetic costs, physical therapy needs, and any future related medical costs.
Lost Wages: This is compensation stemming from your missed time at work since the accident.
Loss of Earning Capacity: This covers individuals who cannot return to their place of occupation or face permanent work restrictions.
Home and Vehicle Modifications: Costs to retrofit your homes or vehicles for accessibility.
Future Care Needs: Any and all expenses that could be reasonably required moving forward.
Non-Economic Damages
Pain and Suffering: This covers physical pain, including phantom pain, and lasting discomfort.
Disfigurement: Permanent physical changes caused by limb loss.
Mental Anguish: The psychological trauma, such as PTSD, depression or anxiety
Physical Impairment: Extended impacts on movement, balance, or function, and overall mobility.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life: The inability to engage in activities, hobbies, or daily tasks as before.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are awarded in civil lawsuits to punish a defendant for from engaging in this behavioral pattern in the future. In premises cases, the attorney must often prove the case by "clear and convincing evidence," which is a higher standard than most cases, showing the defendant acted with malice, oppression, or reckless.
We Are Experienced Houston Apartment Building Accident Lawyers
Choosing the right law firm matters. Apartment injury claims often involve corporate landlords, layered insurance policies, and aggressive defense tactics. At Sneed & Mitchell LLP, we are built to handle these cases.
When you work with our firm, you get:
50+ years of combined legal experience
Over $100 million recovered for injured clients
Multiple Houston-area office locations for convenience
Free consultations
Contingency-fee representation, no fees unless we win
Attorneys specializing in premises liability and apartment injury law
Texas law requires owners of multi-family properties to maintain reasonably safe premises. When entities fail to repair dangerous conditions throughout units, common areas, hallways, and other shared spaces, preventable injuries happen. At Sneed and Mitchell LLP, we focus on premises liability cases and have the experience, resources, and results to pursue maximum compensation for you and your family after an accident.
We also will prepare every case as if it will go to trial from the very start. This level of strategic preparation greatly increased the settlement offer you'll obtain in your cases, because insurance companies know that Sneed & Mitchell does not take shortcuts.
Proving Negligence in a Houston Apartment Building Injury Cases
In order for you to hold a landlord or management company legally responsible her in Houston, Texas, it is necessary to demonstrate that their actions, or inactions, qualify as negligence. Experienced attorneys prove with the evidence obtained during site inspections, the analysis of experts such as structural engineers, and things like camera footage, company emails, and eye-witness testimony, and more. The evidence obtained then helps prove negligence by demonstrating that the :
Knowledge of the Hazard
Showing that the property owner knew or should have known about the unsafe condition existing on the land is a clearly demonstrates. Evidence helps show the owner had an awareness of the risk includes tenant complaints, work order, maintenance requests, inspection records, or testimony employees or agents. Even when an issue hasn't been detected, the law still provides that if the hazard is one an owner would have known of if they were conducting adequate inspections, liability is still established.
Unreasonable Risk
An unreasonable risk is the condition poses a serious danger to others and could have been remediated with a understandable undertaking. Examples include broken or missing railings, cracked or uneven stairs, unsafe balconies, wet or slippery walkways, poor lighting, or unsecured common areas. These are hazards that could reasonably be expected to cause injury.
Failure to Act
Sometimes landlords or management companies fail to take the appropriate measures to repair remove the hazard, such as when repairs are delayed, when makeshift repairs take place, or no repair efforts are made at all.
Lack of Warning
While the hazard continues to exists, such as in situations of water leaks across common areas, property managers must properly warn residents or restrict access. Hazardous areas that are without warning signs, cones, or other efforts to prevent people from coming in contact with the existing issue is evidence negligence.
Direct Cause of Injury
The condition that caused you harm must be linked directly to your injury and damages. Photographs, emergency room reports, videos, and witness testimony help prove the causal link.
Lawful Presence and Foreseeable Actions
That last elements that must be demonstrated here in Texas is that you were legally entitled to be on the premises at the time, like paying tenants, guests, or delivery personnel. You also must have been engaged in an activity that you had permission to do when the harm occurred.
Actual Damages
Actual damages, also known as compensatory damages, are the type of measurable harm that must have occurred in order for you to obtain compensation from the tortfeasor. These damages include anything supported by medical records, receipts, and the testimony of physicians or specialists. Many Houstonian's injured within apartment building undergo things such as hospital visits, surgery, physical rehabilitation, cognitive therapy, or occupational therapy, all of which help measure compensatory damages.
Contributory Negligence and The Statute of Limitations
Texas personal injury law follows a proportionate responsibility doctrine system in cases involving contributory negligence. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, the injured person can recover damages as long as the victim is found to be less than 51 percent responsible for what occurred. If the jury determined that the tenant or visitor to the property is partially responsible, the monetary award is then reduced relative to the person's assigned percentage of fault.
But, if the injured person is 50 percent or more at fault, then their entire recovery is barred entirely. In the cases we handle involving apartment buildings, the insurance adjuster or the defense attorneys usually attempt to blame the injured party. This is why having legal counsel with extensive experience and a perfect record in trial is extremely important. Our attorneys are undefeated at trial and have also secured some of the largest verdicts in Texas history.
In addition, Texas has a timeframe in which a person is able to file a lawsuit called a Statute of Limitations. Under the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, most apartment injury claims have to be filed within two years from the date of the injury. Failing to file within this period can permanently eliminate the right to pursue compensation.
Evidence Preservation Is Important in Injury Claims Against Apartments
One of the most effective tools to preserve key evidence in apartment accident cases is sending an anti-spoliation letter, also known as a litigation hold, to all parties that might have caused or contributed to your injuries. These formal legal notices force all parties involved to preserve specific documents, electronic data, and physical evidence related to the incident. Without this important letter being sent, evidence can be destroyed, altered, overwritten, or concealed, either intentionally or through routine record-keeping practices.
Our litigation attorneys move quickly after being retained to preserve any and all surveillance video, maintenance and inspection records, repair logs, incident reports, emails, text messages, work orders, and employee communications related to the incident. These documents are essential to establishing liability for your and proving the defendant’s knowledge of a hazardous condition, but all of this must be done as soon as possible.
Why Are Houstonians Injured So Often Within Multi-Family Housing?
Houston is a metropolis that houses over 520,948 apartment renters, which accounts for 60% of the total household population here. With such a high percentage of apartments, one would think that the city would make an effort to maintain the safety and quality of the structure and operation of each multi-family housing complex. But unfortunately, this is generally not the case. Many of the apartment buildings throughout Harris County were constructed decades ago, during a time of less building restrictions and engineering standards. Even today, many apartment complex owners here disregard the living conditions of their apartments, ignore the health hazards of worn-down buildings, and fail to take proper measures to safeguard their complexes for tenants and guests .
Multifamily homes established in lower-income areas in Houston are also often owned by predatory owners or slumlords whose goal is to earn favorable tax benefits while still making a profit. Often it litigation our trial team discovers data supporting that property owners often overcharge tenants but disregard much-needed repairs. Areas in Houston such as Sunny Side, MacGregor, Sharpstown, Alief, Acres Homes, and Greenspoint are often locations of apartments that could easily be deemed uninhabitable housing for tenants.
How Law Enforcement Affects Apartment Accident Cases
Law enforcement is vital to apartment accident cases because it establishes an official record of the accident from the police report made. Without a report on record, insurance claims cannot be made, meaning the damages lost will not be accounted for nor paid for by the insurance company. Law enforcement investigates the crime to determine the party liable for the accident and gathers evidence and witness reports to solidify a victim’s case. If a party is found liable for inflicting damage on the victim, the police will arrest them and their case will be handled by the criminal justice system. Without law enforcement, criminals are more likely to get away with their crimes and any evidence in a victim’s case has a chance of being lost or tampered with.
Frequently Asked Questions About Apartment Injuries in Houston
Do I need a Houston apartment injury lawyer?
Yes. Apartment injury cases often involve contested liability and aggressive insurance injusters aiming to lowball or deny your claim. A lawyer is needed to investigate the accident, prove negligence, and pursue full compensation on your behalf.
Can I sue my own apartment complex?
Yes. Tenants have the right here in Houston to pursue claims against their apartment complex if unsafe conditions caused their injuries.
What if the apartment complex says I’m at fault?
Texas uses a modified comparative fault system. You may still recover compensation as long as you are not more than 50% responsible.
What if my injury was caused by a broken railing?
Broken railings are a serious safety violation. Our firm has direct experience with these cases, including a $3.5 million apartment injury recovery.
Will my case go to court?
A majority of cases settle, but we prepare every case for trial from the very start. This involves hiring experts, conducting site investigations, gathering medical testimony to support your damages. This approach often results in stronger settlement offers.
How much does it cost to hire Sneed & Mitchell LLP?
There is no upfront cost. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you only pay if we recover compensation for you.
Contact a Qualified Attorney To Learn More About Houston Apartment Building Injuries Today
Apartments are supposed to be safe spaces and offer proper living conditions to those who rent them, but this is generally not the case here in Houston. If you or someone you know has suffered at the hands of a negligent apartment owner, you deserve to know your legal rights.
Our lawyers at Sneed and Mitchell LLC are dedicated Apartment Building Accident Attorneys and have helped thousands of victims who have experienced personal injuries as a result of someone else’s carelessness find justice and gain compensation for their losses. Call use today at (866) 434-0014 to discuss your case in a free consultation with one of our lawyers today.
We have multiple offices for your convenience and also make home or hospital visits. Our trial team also has multiple Spanish-speaking attorneys here in Houston to assist if you or a loved one need multi-language help. Let make a difference in your life, starting today.
