Landlords Are Being Sued More Than Ever, Pushing Liability Insurance Up

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Landlords Are Being Sued More Than Ever, Pushing Liability Insurance Up
 
Published Friday, May 1, 2026 11:00 am
by Chloe Gallivan

This is a summary

"Commercial property owners across the country are grappling with rapidly rising premiums for and decreasing availability of liability insurance coverage on their properties. 

Insurance experts attribute the increasingly volatile market to the uptick in lawsuits filed against landlords and property owners, higher jury awards and a multimillion-dollar push from personal injury firms to market their services.

“We are already well known to be one of the most litigious, if not the most litigious, society in the entire world,” Sotnikoff said. “I do think it's increasing.”

Federal tort cases increased by 20% between 2022 and 2024, Risk & Insurance reported. Premises liability claims jumped from 4,516 cases in 2022 to 5,632 cases in 2024.

The severity of general liability claims on commercial properties has risen 57% in the last 10 years, according to The Baldwin Group. The most common suits that landlords face are slip-and-fall accidents, elevator and escalator accidents, toxic exposure, and wrongful deaths due to negligent oversight."

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Landlords Are Being Sued More Than Ever, Pushing Liability Insurance Up | Bisnow

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Landlords Are Being Sued More Than Ever, Pushing Liability Insurance Up | Bisnow

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