You may have a claim if a Texas apartment owner, manager or contractor failed to fix or warn about a danger it controlled, and that failure hurt you. An injury on the property doesn't prove fault on its own, so the first job is finding out what failed and who was responsible for it.
No fee unless we win. You pay no fees or expenses unless you recover.
Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
Do you handle apartment cases outside Dallas? | Yes, the firm handles injury claims across Texas, from offices in Dallas and Fort Worth. |
Who can bring a claim? | Tenants, guests and others lawfully on the property, depending on the facts. |
What does the owner owe? | Reasonable care for areas it controls, like stairs, breezeways and pools; less inside a unit the tenant controls. |
How long do I have? | Usually two years to file suit, with exceptions. |
Tell us about your apartment injury or call (214) 200-4878.
About the lawyer | What it means |
|---|---|
Aaron Herbert is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. | You can verify it on his State Bar of Texas profile, Bar number 24036761. |
Licensed in Texas since November 6, 2002 | Shown on the same profile. |
What it doesn't mean | It isn't a certification in apartment cases or a promise about results. |
What Texas apartment injuries do we look into?
Each type of claim needs different evidence.
Injury (hypothetical) | Evidence that usually matters |
|---|---|
A fall on a stairway with a loose handrail in Houston. | Work orders, earlier complaints, and the handrail itself. |
A balcony collapse in Austin. | Engineering review, repair history, and the failed pieces. |
A child hurt in an apartment pool in San Antonio. | Gate, latch and inspection records under Chapter 757. |
An assault after a gate stayed broken in Fort Worth. | Gate logs, repair requests, and earlier crimes at the complex. |
A ceiling collapse after a reported leak in Dallas. | Leak reports, the repair invoice, and who did the work. |
A pedestrian hit in an apartment parking lot. | The driver's insurance, video, lighting, and the lot layout. |
How Texas law treats apartment owners
Texas law sorts duties by who controlled the place and what the owner knew.
Rule | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
Lessor rule | An owner generally isn't liable for conditions inside a unit the tenant controls, except retained control, hidden known defects, and careless repairs. |
Common areas | Where the owner keeps control, it owes care to tenants and their guests. |
Notice | For a spill or leak, there has to be evidence of how long that hazard was there. |
Repair statute | Chapter 92 sets repair and security-device duties and keeps injury suits separate. |
Crime | Foreseeability turns on earlier crimes' proximity, recency, frequency, similarity and publicity; the risk must also be unreasonable. |
Your share of fault | Over 50 percent bars recovery; less reduces it. |
The Texas apartment injury knowledge hub explains each rule in more depth, and the guide on how a Texas apartment injury claim is built walks through the lawsuit.
Deadline | What to know |
|---|---|
Injury lawsuits | Usually two years from the injury. |
Construction and design claims | Separate 10-year repose statutes and a certificate-of-merit rule for some professionals. |
Public housing | Notice to the governmental unit within six months in many cases. |
What should you ask before hiring a lawyer?
Use the first call to test the firm.
Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
Who will work on my file day to day? | You should know who returns your calls. |
What evidence would you ask the owner to keep? | Video and work orders can be lost in weeks. |
How are fees and case costs handled? | Get the terms in a written agreement before you sign. |
What happens if the insurer says no? | You want a plan for filing suit and trying the case. |
Frequently asked questions
Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
Can I sue while I still live there? | Yes. Continuing to live there doesn't decide the claim, and retaliation for repair requests is restricted. |
Is the management company liable too? | It may be, if its own staff, choices or repairs helped cause the danger. |
What if I signed a lease saying the owner isn't responsible? | Some landlord duties can't be waived. Have the lease reviewed. |
Do I need every record before I call? | No. Finding the records is part of the investigation. |
Apartment injury pages by city
Each city page covers that county's courts and local records.
City page | What it covers |
|---|---|
Dallas County apartment claims. | |
Bexar County apartment claims. | |
Tarrant County property claims, including apartments. | |
Assaults tied to unsafe property. |
Call (214) 200-4878 or tell us about your apartment injury.