Coggin v. Starke Bros. Realty Co., Inc.

Appellant appeals from the trial court's granting of summary judgment for Defendants-Appellees on the issue of a landlord's duty to maintain common areas and passageways of residential premises. We reverse and remand.

Appellant Marguerite G. Coggin is a 68-year-old widow who executed a residential lease for an apartment at 101-A Carey Drive in Montgomery, Alabama, in June of 1978. Upon taking possession of the premises, she noticed that the back steps leading up to her dwelling were "steep and narrow" and lacked a handrail. These steps were a portion of the common area of the rental property…