If you are the owner of a rental property or own a business, you are obligated to ensure that those who are renting from you or doing business with you are reasonably protected. Failure to do so can see you facing undue stress from a lawsuit.

There are no definitive laws that say exactly what you can get sued for, but the following list will give you an idea of the kind of security negligence issues that will get you into serious trouble:

• Failure to update security plans and procedures at your rental property or business
• Failure to install enough physical security equipment such as cameras and flood lights
• Failure to provide enough security staff
• Omitting to carry out security background checks before hiring your employees
• Poor lighting in buildings, broken doors and windows
• Failure to replace broken security equipment
• Lack of proper research into crime levels in the neighborhood of your rental property

Why You Should Avoid Security Negligence Lawsuits

• Reason #1 It’s Expensive

Firstly lawsuits are expensive. Going to court doesn’t come cheap. The processes and people who need to be paid in between can make a lot of people bankrupt. So do your best to avoid going to court as much as possible. Even if you win, there really is no joy in it because of the thousands of dollars you have had to spend trying to defend yourself. As a business owner, play your part in keeping your security measures up to date. It might seem expensive now, but you will thank yourself later.

• Reason # 2 It is Time Consuming

You also want to avoid going to court because it is time-consuming. You don’t know how long a lawsuit can drag on. It can go on for months on end until a settlement is agreed upon. Sometimes an out-of-court settlement is rejected and then you have to go back to court. It’s a never ending cycle.

• Reason #3 You could lose

The grounds for a lawsuit can be almost anything a tenant believes they should sue for. Because of this, it is very important that you as a business owner have covered yourself and your bases as much as possible by closing any of the aforementioned loopholes that can get you into legal trouble. Do everything you can, fix broken cameras, put in missing light bulbs, fix broken doors and windows. Play your part.

The jury can convict you of security negligence if you failed to fix an issue that was fixable. Don’t think you will be able to easily talk yourself out of fulfilling your duties. Security experts testifying in court can easily show that you failed to do what you knew was right.

If you would like to obtain more information about security negligence and the law don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at the Law Firm of Edersy Suarez.