Attacked at a Vacation Rental? You May Have a Claim Against the Owner

Vacation Rental Negligent Security Lawyer: Hold Property Owners Accountable

You booked what seemed like a safe place to stay. You expected working locks, good lighting, security cameras, or visible staff. Instead, you were assaulted, robbed, shot at, or violently attacked on the property.

The owner’s failure to provide basic security made that attack possible. This is not your fault. The property owner may be legally responsible for your injuries.

You Rented a Vacation Property and Were Attacked

When you book through Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, or a private owner, you deserve a safe place to stay. Property owners must protect guests from foreseeable harm. This duty is stronger in high-crime areas or where crimes happened before.

Vacation rental guests are vulnerable. You don’t know the property. You may travel alone or with children. You cannot know if crimes happened there previously. The owner does.

If they fail to take reasonable security steps despite knowing the risk, they are legally responsible when you are harmed.

What Is Negligent Security at a Vacation Rental?

Negligent security is a legal claim. It holds a property owner liable when they fail to provide reasonable security. That failure allows a crime to happen.

At a vacation rental, reasonable security typically includes:

• Working locks and deadbolts on doors, windows, and sliding glass doors
• Adequate outdoor lighting in parking areas, entryways, hallways, and common spaces
• Working security cameras or surveillance systems
• Clear sightlines (trimmed landscaping, no blind spots)
• Security guards, regular patrols, or staff presence at night (depending on location and crime history)

When an owner knows—or should know—their property is in a high-crime area, or similar crimes happened there before, they must take extra precautions. If they fail and you are harmed, you may have a claim.

Common Security Failures at Vacation Rentals

Owners cut corners on security to save money. Here’s what we see:

• Broken or missing locks on doors, windows, or sliding glass doors
• Burned-out or absent outdoor lighting in parking lots, garages, hallways, or entry areas
• No security cameras or non-working surveillance systems
• Lack of security guards, patrols, or staff presence at night
• Unsecured or poorly lit common areas (pools, hot tubs, courtyards, elevators)
• No gate or access control at the property entrance
• Overgrown landscaping that creates hiding spots or blocks sightlines
• No alarm system or emergency call buttons
• Failure to respond to prior complaints about security or criminal activity

Who Can Be Held Liable?

Multiple parties may share responsibility for your injuries:

• The property owner (individual or corporate entity)
• The property management company hired to oversee the rental
• The platform operator (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com) in some circumstances
• Third-party security companies contracted to provide security services

Platform Liability: Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com

Many injured guests assume platforms are simply listing services with no responsibility. That is not always true.

If the platform knew about prior crimes at a property through incident reports, guest complaints, or police records, and failed to warn you or remove the listing, the platform may share liability.

If the platform failed to properly vet the property owner or failed to enforce its own safety policies, liability may extend to the platform operator.

We investigate platform conduct in every case. This distinction is critical and often overlooked.

What Injuries and Attacks Are Covered?

Negligent security claims cover violent crimes that happen because the property lacked reasonable security:

• Assault or battery by another guest or intruder
• Sexual assault or rape
• Armed robbery or theft with violence
• Shooting or stabbing
• Home invasion or burglary resulting in injury
• Injuries sustained while defending yourself or fleeing
• Psychological trauma, PTSD, and ongoing mental-health effects

How Do You Prove Negligent Security?

Proving negligent security requires establishing four key elements under Florida law:

1. The owner’s duty of care. Property owners must keep premises reasonably safe. They must protect guests from foreseeable harm. This duty is established in Florida common law and premises-liability statutes.

2. Breach of that duty. The owner failed to provide reasonable security measures. Examples: broken locks, poor lighting, no cameras, or no guards.

3. Foreseeability. The owner knew—or should have known—that crimes were likely at that property. We investigate prior incidents, police reports, and complaints to prove this.

4. Causation and injury. The security failure directly enabled the attack. You were harmed as a result.

How We Gather Evidence

We build your case by:

• Photographing security failures (broken locks, burned-out lights, missing cameras, unsecured entry points)
• Obtaining police reports and incident logs documenting prior crimes at the property
• Collecting your medical records and police report from the attack
• Gathering witness statements from other guests, staff, or neighbors
• Retaining a security expert to evaluate the property and testify that the owner failed to meet industry standards
• Establishing a direct link: if the lock had worked, the camera had been on, or the area had been lit, the attack would not have occurred

Important: You do not need to identify or prosecute the attacker. This is a major misconception that prevents injured people from pursuing claims. Your claim depends entirely on proving the owner’s failure to provide reasonable security enabled the crime. The attacker’s identity is irrelevant to the property owner’s liability.

How CHG Handles Your Negligent Security Claim

Initial consultation. We listen to your account of what happened. We review your injuries and assess whether you have a viable claim. This is free and confidential.

Investigation. We obtain police reports, medical records, and property records. We visit the vacation rental to document security failures and photograph the scene.

Prior-incident research. We investigate whether crimes occurred at that property before. This is critical in proving the owner knew of the risk.

Expert retention. We work with security experts, medical specialists, and other professionals to build your case.

Demand and negotiation. We prepare a detailed demand letter to the property owner, management company, and their insurance carriers. We outline the negligent security failures and your damages.

Litigation, if necessary. If a fair settlement cannot be reached, we file a lawsuit. We represent you through discovery, depositions, and trial.

Damages recovery. We pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other losses.

What Damages Can You Recover?

Negligent security cases can result in substantial compensation:

• Medical expenses: emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, ongoing treatment, and mental-health counseling
• Lost wages: income lost while you recover or are unable to work
• Pain and suffering: compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life
• Permanent disability or disfigurement: if the attack caused lasting harm
• Loss of enjoyment of life: if your ability to work, travel, or engage in activities has been permanently altered
• Punitive damages: in cases where the owner’s conduct was particularly reckless or egregious, you may recover additional damages intended to punish them and deter similar conduct

Why Property Owners Are Legally Responsible

Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. They must protect guests from foreseeable harm.

When a property is in a high-crime area, or when the owner knows that crimes have occurred there before, the risk of criminal activity is foreseeable.

Reasonable security measures are not expensive or burdensome: working locks, adequate lighting, and working cameras are standard in the hospitality industry. When an owner cuts corners on security to save money and a guest is harmed, the owner is liable for that harm.

Courts recognize that vacation rental guests are particularly vulnerable. They are unfamiliar with the property. They may be alone or with small children. They have no way to know about prior crimes at that location.

Property owners exploit this vulnerability when they fail to disclose security risks or provide adequate protection.

How Florida’s Comparative-Negligence Rule Works

Under Fla. Stat. §768.81, if you are found more than 50% at fault for your own injury, you generally recover nothing.

However, this applies only to your own conduct—not to the attacker’s criminal actions. The attacker’s conduct is not compared to yours. Only the property owner’s negligence is weighed against any contribution you may have made to your own injury.

This is a critical distinction that protects injured guests from unfair blame.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Choose CHG for Your Negligent Security Claim

Exclusive focus. We focus exclusively on catastrophic injury claims, including negligent security at vacation rentals. This is our core practice.

Licensed attorneys. Our team includes Florida Bar-admitted attorneys with years of experience in premises liability and negligent-security cases.

National reach. Although based in Florida, we handle negligent security cases nationwide. We have the resources and expertise to pursue claims in any state.

Thorough investigation. We do not rely on what the property owner tells us. We conduct independent investigations, retain experts, and uncover prior incidents that prove foreseeability.

No upfront costs. We work on a contingency-fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

Compassionate representation. We understand that you were harmed in a place where you should have been safe. We treat you with respect and fight to hold the property owner accountable.

What Happens Next

Contact us for a free, confidential case evaluation. Tell us what happened, where it happened, and how you were injured.

We will review your case, ask clarifying questions, and explain your legal options. If we believe you have a viable claim, we will outline the next steps and discuss our representation agreement.

We will begin our investigation immediately, gathering evidence and building your case. You will work with a dedicated attorney who will keep you informed throughout the process and answer your questions.

If you were assaulted, robbed, or attacked at a vacation rental because of inadequate security, you may have a negligent security claim against the property owner. People in your situation reach out to us regularly. Get a free case evaluation today.