Burned in the shower? Your landlord may be responsible.

Many of those living in New York City apartments know what it is like to be at the mercy of a landlord. A landlord may dictate everything from when the heat is turned on for the year to what colors the walls in your apartment can be. While this can certainly be annoying, the truth is that in many of these cases, the landlord does have the legal right to put certain policies and regulations in place. However, when a landlord does something — or fails to do something properly — and you or your family is injured as a result, there are cases where you may be able to sue.

Take for example a hot water burn in the shower. If the burn was due to the temperature on a hot water heater being set to high, there may be reason to take legal action against a landlord.

According to the New York State Department of Health, hot water heaters cannot be set above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This number is important to remember because anything hotter than this may cause burns, especially for children who tend to have even more sensitive skin than adults do.

However, even though the temperature is something that is supposed to be regulated, there are still plenty of cases where negligent landlords fail to set the water heater to the correct temperature.

Of course, though, landlord negligence is not the only cause of water being too hot. There are also cases where the water heater itself is defective or where the company responsible for maintaining and repairing the unit makes a mistake that leads to burn injuries.

Given the fact there are a number of scenarios that could lead to burn injuries from a hot water heater, those who suffer from scalding injuries are encouraged to reach out to speak with an attorney at Sakkas, Cahn & Weiss, LLP to talk more about their specific case.