Tenant's Injury Forces Apartment Management to Fix Unsafe Lighting

After repeatedly warning about hazardous conditions, a tenant's fall down the stairs finally compelled the property manager to address the dangerous lighting issues.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 6:35pm

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An extreme close-up photograph of a shattered light sensor or fixture, reflecting a harsh flash of light against a pitch-black background, conceptually illustrating the dangerous lighting conditions that led to a tenant's injury.A broken lighting fixture in a dimly lit stairwell exposes the safety hazards that can arise when property managers neglect maintenance.Central Garage Today

A tenant in a Virginia apartment complex repeatedly warned the property management company about unsafe lighting conditions in the building's common areas and garage, but the company refused to make repairs. After the tenant suffered broken bones from falling down the stairs while moving a couch in the dimly lit stairwell, the property manager was finally forced to reconfigure the lighting to be on 24 hours a day, addressing the safety hazard.

Why it matters

This case highlights the risks that can arise when property managers fail to address known safety issues, even after being warned by tenants. Liability concerns often force companies to act only after an incident occurs, rather than being proactive about maintaining safe conditions for residents, especially vulnerable populations like the elderly.

The details

The tenant had been warning the property management company, a public strata corporation, about the faulty common area lighting for months. The lights would frequently turn off unexpectedly, and the management company blamed a nearby construction project and rewired the lights to turn off during the day, leaving the garage and stairwells in complete darkness. When the tenant persisted in requesting the lights be restored, the management company refused, stating they would not act until someone was injured. So the tenant, with the help of a neighbor, carefully moved a couch down the dark stairwell, resulting in the tenant falling and suffering broken bones. Only then did the property manager agree to reconfigure the lighting to be on 24 hours a day.

  • About nine months ago, the tenant started regularly reporting issues with the common area lighting turning off unexpectedly.
  • Three months ago, the property manager informed the tenant the lights could not be restored to their former settings.
  • A few days before the incident, the property manager had sent the tenant a letter demanding they dispose of a couch in the common area.
  • The tenant fell and suffered broken bones while moving the couch down the dark stairwell.

The players

Strata Corporation

The public property management company responsible for the apartment complex.

Tenant

A resident of the apartment complex who repeatedly warned the property manager about the unsafe lighting conditions.

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What they’re saying

“The lights cannot be on at day.”

— Strata Supervisor, Supervisor

“The lights have to be on at day. Otherwise, you cannot see what you are doing in the stairwell or in the garage area. We have elderly residents here and people with mobility issues. Someone could easily fall and break something.”

— Tenant

“That doesn't change anything. Until someone does break something, we cannot change the lighting settings.”

— Strata Supervisor, Supervisor

What’s next

The tenant may consider pursuing legal action against the property management company for their failure to address the known safety hazard, which resulted in the tenant's injuries.

The takeaway

This case highlights the risks that can arise when property managers prioritize cost-cutting over tenant safety, and the need for stronger accountability measures to ensure managers promptly address safety issues, even without a serious incident occurring first.