In Torresdale, Philadelphia, a large older home divided into apartments may have a staircase that was altered to fit the new layout. That work is not always done to code for shared use. Problems can include steps that are too steep, no landing, a short handrail, or poor lighting. You may have a claim against the property owner if a defect from that work caused your slip and fall accident.
At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Torresdale slip and fall attorneys represent people injured on stairways that were modified when a house was converted into rental units. This discussion explains how converting a home can make a staircase unsafe and how Pennsylvania law handles these personal injury claims.
Large Older Homes Set East Torresdale Apart From Philadelphia’s Rowhouse Blocks
Much of East Torresdale consists of large, freestanding houses on lots bigger than a typical Philadelphia rowhouse lot. Poquessing Creek marks the area’s edge at the city line, and the Delaware River marks another. Many of the older homes were built for single families in the 1800s. Newer houses from the 20th century are mixed in among them.
Between July 2016 and June 2017, East Torresdale was one of 18 neighborhoods included in Philadelphia’s citywide zoning remapping. Remapping updates zoning to reflect both what is actually there and what the community would like to see in the future. Among other things, zoning controls whether a house may hold one household or several. When one of these large houses is divided into apartments, a stairway designed for one family must serve more than one household.
What Happens to the Stairs When a Large Torresdale House Becomes Apartments?
When converting a single-family home into apartments, the original stairway is often narrowed or steepened to make room for new living spaces. In other cases, a secondary staircase is built so that each tenant has an independent entryway. However, dividing a house does not guarantee that new or modified stairs comply with local building codes. If work is done without a permit, safety code violations often go undetected by city inspectors.
In 2018, Philadelphia’s Licenses and Inspections commissioner said he believed the city’s zoning code was inadvertently encouraging owners to illegally divide homes into boarding houses, pushing those houses out of regulators’ view. He was speaking about the whole city, not Torresdale specifically.
Why Is a Steep Stairway Without a Landing So Dangerous?
Steep steps are easy to misjudge. Without a landing partway up, a slip near the top can become a fall down the whole flight. When a stairway is made steeper, each step can end up taller and shallower than code allows, leaving less room for your foot on the way down.
In Torresdale, autumn rain tracked in on shoes can make those shallow steps even more slippery. Hitting a hard floor at the bottom can cause severe harm, including head injuries and broken hips or wrists. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data shows emergency rooms nationwide treated an estimated 3,101,761 injuries involving stairs, ramps, landings, and floors in 2024. No other product category in that year’s data was larger.
How Do Short Handrails and Poor Lighting Add to the Danger?
A short handrail and poor lighting significantly increase the risk of falling on a converted staircase in Torresdale. During renovations, handrails are sometimes installed improperly, stopping short of the top or bottom steps and leaving individuals with nothing to hold onto when stepping on or off the flight.
Lighting added as an afterthought can make tall, shallow steps hard to judge. These gaps are especially dangerous for older residents and anyone carrying laundry or groceries up a narrow stair.
Why Can a Freshly Painted Stairway Still Cause a Fall?
A converted stairway can look well kept and still be dangerous because of how it was built. Fresh paint, a new carpet runner, or regular cleaning will not shorten a tall step or add a missing landing. That sets a conversion defect apart from ordinary wear, such as a cracked step or a loose rail bracket.
In an older East Torresdale house, a stair altered without meeting code may have been unsafe from the day the work was finished. Because upstairs tenants may have no other way to reach their apartment, they can face that risk every day.
Does It Matter Whether the Landlord Knew the Stairs Were Unsafe?
Usually, yes. A defect built during the conversion can make that question easier to answer. Pennsylvania law can hold the owner, or whoever controls the stairway, responsible for a hazard they caused, knew about, or could have found with reasonable care. A landlord who ordered the conversion may have had a hand in creating a stair that is too steep.
Even if a landlord bought the house already divided, a shared stairway is generally treated as a common area the landlord controls. That landlord can be responsible for a dangerous condition there if reasonable care would have found it. At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Torresdale slip and fall accident lawyers look at when the stairway was changed. They also check who ordered the work.
Can a Guest Who Falls on the Shared Stairs Also Have a Claim?
Yes. A landlord who controls a shared stairway can also be responsible to visitors a tenant lawfully invited in. That includes family members, friends, and caregivers visiting a Torresdale apartment.
Guests can face extra risk on a converted stair. They may not know how steep the steps are or where the rail ends. A guest’s slip and fall claim depends on the same kind of hazard a tenant would need to show.
Frequently Asked Questions About Converted House Stair Falls in Torresdale, Philadelphia
- Can the Contractor Who Divided the House Be Responsible for a Stair Fall?
Yes, in some cases. Under Pennsylvania law, a contractor whose substandard or improper construction work created a dangerous staircase can be held liable for your slip and fall accident. This applies even if the property owner knew about the defect or if the hazard was visible.
- What Proof Should I Gather After a Fall on Altered Stairs?
Photos of the stairs taken from the side, before the owner makes any changes, are key evidence because they show the height of each step. Also photograph where the handrail ends and how the lighting looked when you fell, and write down which step you were on. See a doctor right away so that your injuries are on record, and keep copies of anything you send the landlord.
- What Compensation Can I Seek After a Stairway Fall in a Converted Torresdale Home?
You can generally seek medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Hurt in a Fall? Talk to Our Torresdale, Philadelphia Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer
If you fell on a steep or altered stairway in a converted Torresdale home, reach out to our Torresdale, Philadelphia slip and fall accident lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer. Call 215-985-0138 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Located in Philadelphia, as well as Cherry Hill and Marlton, NJ, we assist clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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