Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Florida

I rented a home in Florida 3 years ago. We have 2 small children, our son extremely immunocompromised with heart transplant and cancer. The home had never been lived in since it was built, and remained empty for at least 2 years until we rented.

Recently, our son contracted Giardia. The health dept tested our water and concluded the Girardia is in fact in the pipes throughout the house, and it has been there since before we moved it. They said our rental company should have cleaned the pipes with a chlroine irrigation prior to any tenants moving in to the home, as it had been vacant for years.

Our son is now on medicine for the Giardia and will have to have further testing and possibe procedures because of it. To a healthy child, it's not a big deal, but to a child with no immune system, Giardia can be dangerous, and even fatal. Do we have any grounds for a lawsuit against our rental company?


Asked on 10/29/11, 6:51 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lucreita Becude Lucreita D. Becude, P.A.

Need a lot more info. More than likely the house being empty was not the fault of the rental company. Unless there is some policy Statutory or otherwise, I don't believe this would be a viable case. However, I suggest you contact some of the larger firms in the area. Their consultations are usually free. If you are in the Duval County area, Spohrer and Dodds or Pacjic law firm would be great starting points. Good Luck and God Bless. So sorry to hear of this.

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Answered on 10/29/11, 7:36 am


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