Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
The parking gate to the 16 car garage in my apartment complex was left open because of the side door was jammed. The parking gate was left open all day and night for around 4 days. During that time, my bike was stolen from the parking garage. The bike was locked. Leading up to the parking garage being left open, I never received a notice that they were going to leave it open. Would I be able to get the management company to reimburse me for my bike?
Thanks.
2 Answers from Attorneys
You can try. You'll have to show the management company knew of the risk to your bike and failed to act prudently to deal with the problem.
I'd say the outcome of a small-claims suit for the value of the bike could go either way, 50-50, and might depend upon facts not given in the question, including whether the landlord knew about and/or allowed the bike storage and whether it is a high-crime neighborhood.