Personal Injury

Understand personal injury in Canadian real estate — what it includes, how to protect against liability, and the role of insurance in managing risks.

Personal Injury



What is Personal Injury?

Personal injury in real estate refers to bodily harm sustained by a visitor, tenant, or service provider on or because of a property.

Why Personal Injury Matters in Real Estate

In Canadian real estate, personal injury claims can arise from unsafe conditions such as icy walkways, loose handrails, or poor lighting. Property owners may be held legally liable if negligence is proven.


Examples of personal injury incidents include:
  • Slip and falls on unshoveled sidewalks
  • Trips on broken steps or walkways
  • Injuries from falling debris or unsecured fixtures


Liability coverage within home insurance helps protect homeowners against legal costs and damages from such claims. Landlords and property managers also carry liability insurance to protect against tenant or visitor injury lawsuits.


Understanding personal injury risks allows homeowners and landlords to mitigate liability and ensure safe living conditions.

Example of Personal Injury in Action

A tenant’s guest breaks their ankle after slipping on an icy stairwell. The property owner is found liable and the insurance policy covers the settlement.

Key Takeaways

  • Involves injury occurring on property grounds.
  • Can lead to lawsuits and financial liability.
  • Covered by liability insurance.
  • Landlords must maintain safe conditions.
  • Risk increases with negligence.

Related Terms

  • Liability Coverage
  • Home Insurance
  • Legal Liability
  • Property Protection
  • Risk Management

Additional Terms

Bridge Financing

Bridge financing is a short-term loan that helps homebuyers cover the financial gap between buying a new property and selling their existing one.. more

Bridge Loan

A bridge loan is a short-term financing option that allows homeowners to borrow against the equity in their current property to fund the purchase of. more

Firm Offer

A firm offer is a legally binding agreement to purchase a property that contains no conditions. Once accepted, it commits both the buyer and the. more

Foreclosure

Foreclosure is a legal process through which a lender takes ownership of a property when the borrower defaults on their mortgage payments.. more

Closing Costs

Closing costs are the various fees and expenses that buyers and sellers must pay to finalize a real estate transaction, separate from the property’s. more

Assignment Sale

An assignment sale occurs when the original buyer of a property (the assignor) sells their rights in the purchase agreement to a new buyer (the. more

More For You

Toronto City Council Approves 7 High-Rise Proposals From Choice, Diamante, And More
Rendering of 1798-1812 Weston Road/BDP Quadrangle via Castlepoint Numa

Toronto City Council wrapped up its May session last week and, as with every month, several development applications were up for review. Of those, the lion’s share got the green light — albeit with varying degrees of amendments — which is perhaps a testament to the intensified emphasis on homebuilding in Toronto and its development review system that’s in the process of being streamlined by a newly-formed division.

As part of the Province’s broader goal of 1.5 million new homes by 2030, Toronto has the tall order of delivering 285,000 new homes over a 10-year course, but has only achieved 71,762 starts since 2022. Last year, Toronto fell short of its target of 23,750 starts, with just 18,422 units recorded.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stylish Mississauga Home Brings Classic Mid-Century Cool to Modern Family Living

Striking the perfect balance between refined and homey is a tall task, but one that this South Mississauga home pulls off with ease.

Located in the highly-sought after Applewood Acres — a mid-century suburb built, charmingly, over what was once a collection of apple orchards — 2121 Harvest Drive offers quiet, tree-lined streets and 5,000 sq. ft of stunning custom craftsmanship.

Keep ReadingShow less
Meet The Agent: Laura McBride, Sutton Group - Heritage Realty Inc.

Laura McBride

Welcome to Meet the Agent, an ongoing series profiling real estate agents from across Canada. With more than 150,000 agents, brokers, and salespeople working in 75 different boards and associations across the country, we thought it was about time they had a place to properly introduce themselves.

If you or someone you know deserves the same chance, email agents@storeys.com to apply.

Keep ReadingShow less
​A residential street in Toronto.

A residential street in Toronto. / Erman Gunes, Shutterstock

Jakub Zerdzicki/Pexels

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) annual Mortgage Consumer Survey was released this week and the findings reveal a varied, but overall optimistic, homebuyer landscape based on responses from 3,968 mortgage consumers collected in January 2025.

While an increasing amount of homebuyers paid the maximum that they can afford for a home and more consumers are struggling to make mortgage payments, respondents are more optimistic about their home purchase being a good investment than they were in 2024 and first-time homebuyers are making up a larger share of transactions than they did a year ago.

Keep ReadingShow less
Toronto Development Marketing Firm L.A. Inc. Closes After 40 Years

L.A. Inc.

After 40 years in business, Toronto-based real estate marketing firm L.A. Inc. announced on Thursday that the company has closed its doors.

"The end of an era. L.A. Inc’s journey has come to an end. It has been 35 plus years of amazing story telling. We’ve witnessed profound changes in the real estate sector, both up and down," said the company in a LinkedIn post. "Unfortunately the headwinds we have experienced over the last several years have been too great to continue."

Keep ReadingShow less
Expert: Market Momentum Is Slowing – But Trusted Real Estate Professionals Are Rising

Canada’s real estate market is navigating one of its most uncertain chapters in years. Interest rates are softening, but affordability remains out of reach for many. Inflation is still a concern, consumer confidence is fragile, and global tensions continue to shape economic uncertainty. In this kind of environment, real estate decisions are no longer just transactional – they’re deeply personal and increasingly high-stakes.

Today’s buyers and sellers are navigating more than just listings and mortgage rates. They’re weighing questions about job stability, long-term affordability, family priorities, and whether now is the right time to make a move. From coast to coast, we’re seeing the ripple effects of that caution: sales are slowing, inventory is rising, and confidence is uneven.

Keep ReadingShow less
Choice Properties Advances Plans For 17 Storeys Near Warden Station
683-685 Warden Avenue/Giannone Petricone Associates

A Scarborough development proposal that has faced significant pushback from community members and City Council is moving forward with the submission of a Site Plan Approval application for one of the projects' four blocks.

Proposed is a 17-storey residential building with a six-storey base offering 290 rental units. The development block, Block Three, is part of a larger complex set to contain a total of five towers with heights ranging from 17 to 49 storeys, a new 21,689-sq.-ft public park, and 2,105 residential units.

Keep ReadingShow less