Housing association liability: free advice

Questioner

Ir/Madam, Last week, while I was standing on the top step of the loft ladder to get something from the attic, I came down with the loft ladder and all. Afterwards it turned out that the ladder was glued and attached with only one nail, so not screwed. My fibula is broken, soft cast and now another 6 weeks in a brace and of course waiting to see how things will go. My question is whether I can hold the housing association liable. Their response is that there has never been a report of a defect in the loft ladder and they deny liability. I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks in advance.

Lawyer

If you can prove that the stairs were defective and could pose a danger, you should hold the housing association liable. The fact that it did not happen before is of course not a sufficiently substantiated argument in itself to ward off liability.