Finding the right Houston premises liability attorney is vital in getting the settlement that you deserve. I’m a Houston attorney with over 25 years of experience in the industry and a focus on personally serving the needs of my clients.

The most common question Houston premises liability attorneys receive about this area of law is “just what is premises liability?” Many citizens of the Houston area are intrinsically familiar with some of the aspects of premises law such as slip and fall cases, but are not aware that it also goes by this more technical name.

In essence, premises liability law is a body of law which sets out the responsibilities of those who own property for any injuries suffered by users of that property, and those users can be divided into three types.

3 Types of User in Premises Liability Cases

• Invitees
• Licensees
• Trespassers

In order to properly pursue a premises liability lawsuit, an attorney must first determine just what type of user of the property they were. It is for this reason that I recommend you seek a reputable, knowledgeable Houston premises liability attorney in any premises case, as the rules governing use and responsibility can be complex.

Invitee
The first ‘user’ in a Houston premises liability case is an invitee, which is someone who is on the property to either do business or perform an operation that is of commercial benefit to the owner. They can be customers in a department store who slip on a wet floor, to a business owner who rents space for their business from a property owner and has one of their customers suffer an injury. Despite the name, invitees do not need to be directly invited onto the property – their invite can be implied.

Licensee
The second type of user is a licensee. This is most easily understood as a guest in a home. The owner has allowed the licensee access to their property, and if they fail to maintain it properly – having rotted floorboards, for example – they could be liable for any injury sustained.

Trespasser
The last type of user is a trespasser. This is someone who has no right to be on the property and is either passing through to another location, or is there to commit a criminal act. While there is a lower standard of liability on owners for trespassers, they must still warn these users if their presence is known.