Whenever building codes change, property owners might need to spend thousands of dollars to bring their properties up to code. The most recent changes in New York stem from the damage done by Hurricane Sandy. These changes would require many property owners to add faucets in common areas, and hospitals and care facilities would need to add hookups for emergency generators.
This could result in a property owner needing to spend thousands of dollars to make these changes. Newly constructed properties would be required to meet these new code changes immediately. If a property owner isn’t able to afford these changes, they might find themselves facing increased liability in an emergency.
Sometimes when a person is injured on a property, they blame the property owner and might file a lawsuit. Even during a national disaster, when many incidents might be out of a property owner’s control, they might still face liability issues because of injuries.
Property owners who are accused of causing another person’s injuries might be wise to speak with an experienced New York premises liability defense attorney. An attorney can help the property owner find the resources they need, investigate the incident and form a rigorous defense against the accusations.
It is important that property owners document the incident, and an attorney can help prove that the owners kept the property in a safe condition. When a natural disaster occurs, it is important that property owners act quickly to identify hazards that may have resulted from a storm and correct those situations.
Source: The New York Times, “New Building Codes Passed After Lessons From Hurricane Sandy,” Mireya Navarro, Nov. 14, 2013