Negligent security

A property owner’s duty to keep visitors reasonably safe extends to foreseeable criminal acts by third parties, not just physical hazards like a broken stair or a wet floor. When a landlord, business, or property manager knows (or should know) that crime is a risk on the property and fails to take reasonable precautions, and someone is assaulted, shot, or killed as a result, the owner can be liable for the harm. Depending on the property, liability can reach the owner, the property management company, and a contracted security provider.

These cases are distinct from an ordinary slip-and-fall. They turn on what the owner knew about the risk, what a reasonable owner would have done about it, and whether reasonable measures would have prevented the crime. The firm handles negligent security matters as co-counsel and on referral, alongside its wrongful death and premises work.

Initial consultation is free. Personal injury matters are handled on a contingency basis: you owe no attorney fee unless we recover for you.

Apartment complexes and other multi-family properties are among the most common settings for negligent security claims. Residents and their guests are entitled to expect that a property with a known history of crime takes reasonable steps to protect them: working locks and gates, adequate lighting, functioning cameras, and, where the risk warrants, security personnel.

When a property management company markets a complex as secure but lets those measures lapse, and a resident or visitor is harmed by a foreseeable crime, the firm pursues the owner and manager responsible for the property’s condition.

The same duty applies to parking lots, shopping centers, hotels, bars and nightclubs, gas stations, and other commercial premises that invite the public in. A business that draws customers to a location with a known crime problem has to weigh that risk and respond to it reasonably.

The firm evaluates the property’s history, its security practices, and industry standards for premises of that type to determine whether the owner met its duty and, if not, how that failure contributed to the harm.

Two questions decide most negligent security cases: was the crime foreseeable, and would reasonable security measures have prevented it. Foreseeability is often shown through the property’s own prior-incident history, police call records for the location, and crime data for the surrounding area. Common failures include:

• Inadequate lighting in parking areas, stairwells, or common areas
• Broken locks, gates, or access controls
• Insufficient or poorly trained security personnel for the property’s size and history
• Cameras that are broken, unmonitored, or absent
• Ignored complaints or a documented history of similar crimes on or near the property

Because the evidence in these cases (incident reports, call logs, camera footage, and maintenance records) is controlled by the property owner and can disappear, the firm moves early to preserve it.

Many negligent security cases involve the most serious outcomes: a shooting or assault that takes a life. Georgia law allows a surviving spouse, children, or parents to bring a wrongful-death claim when a foreseeable crime on an unsafe property kills a family member. The firm handles these matters with the same standard of proof as any negligent security case, and coordinates the wrongful-death claim alongside it. See the firm’s wrongful death page.

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