Slip and trip claims: your complete guide to getting compensation

TL;DR

• You can make a slip and trip claim if someone else's negligence caused your accident on their premises or land.
• You have three years from the date of your accident to start a claim. The clock starts on the day of the accident, not the day you see a doctor.
• No win no fee means you pay nothing if the claim fails. If it succeeds, the firm's fee is capped at 25% of your compensation.
• The most common reason claims fail is lack of evidence, not lack of liability. Photos, a report to staff, and medical records taken the same day make a significant difference.
• You do not need a witness, an accident book entry, or CCTV to make a claim, though each one strengthens your case.

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A slip and trip claim is one of the most common types of personal injury case, yet many people who could make one never do. They walk away after a fall in a supermarket, on a pavement, or in a car park feeling embarrassed, unsure whether they have a case, or worried about the cost.

If your accident was caused by a hazard that the business or landowner should have dealt with, you may be entitled to make a slip and trip claim. This guide explains how these claims work, what you need to prove, and what to do next.

What is a slip and trip claim?

A slip and trip claim is a type of public liability claim. You make one when you are injured because a business, landowner or local authority failed to keep their premises or land reasonably safe.

Under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957, anyone who controls premises owes a duty of care to their visitors. That duty requires them to take reasonable steps to keep the premises safe. When they fail to do that, and someone is injured as a result, the injured person may be entitled to compensation.

Common examples include wet floors without warning signs, spillages left unattended, uneven paving, broken steps, loose carpets, and poor lighting. Slip trip claims, trip and fall claims, trip and fall injury claims, and slip and fall injury claims all fall under this umbrella. The claim is always against whoever occupied or controlled the space at the time of the accident.

Who can make a slip and trip claim?

You can make a claim if you were injured in an accident caused by a failure to keep premises safe, and your accident happened within the last three years.

You do not need to have been a paying customer. Visitors, members of the public, and people passing through (for example, walking through a shopping centre car park) are all covered by the 1957 Act. The duty applies in supermarkets, shops, restaurants, pubs, car parks, leisure centres and public spaces.

You also do not need to have reported the accident at the time. Reporting it creates a contemporaneous record that strengthens your case, but a missing accident book entry does not end your claim.

What do you need to prove in a slip and trip claim?

To succeed, you need to show three things: that the occupier owed you a duty of care, that they breached it, and that the breach caused your injury.

The duty of care part is almost always satisfied once you establish you were on the premises lawfully. The breach is the key battleground. You need to show that the hazard existed, that the occupier knew about it (or should have found it through reasonable inspection), and that they failed to deal with it in a reasonable time.

A spillage cleaned up within minutes, with a wet floor sign out, is unlikely to found a claim. A spillage reported to staff and left for an hour, or a recurring hazard on a route the retailer inspects rarely, is a different matter.

Steps to take immediately after a slip, trip or fall

The steps you take in the minutes and hours after a fall can make the difference between a strong claim and a weak one.

If you are physically able to:

1. Report it. Tell a member of staff or the site manager. Ask them to record it in the accident book. Note the time and the name of whoever you spoke to.
2. Photograph everything. Take photos of the hazard before it is cleaned up or corrected. Photograph the presence or absence of a warning sign. Take one wide shot to show the location and a close-up of the hazard itself.
3. Get witness details. If anyone saw the accident or was nearby, take their name and a contact number. You do not need a formal statement at this stage.
4. Seek medical attention the same day. Even if your injuries feel minor, seeing a GP or attending A&E creates a contemporaneous medical record linking your injury to the accident.
5. Keep your footwear. The shoes you were wearing can become relevant if the other side raises a contributory negligence argument. Do not throw them away.

If there was CCTV on the premises, ask the business in writing to preserve the footage. Retailers typically overwrite recordings after 28 to 31 days. A solicitor can send a formal preservation letter on your behalf as soon as you instruct them.

What evidence helps a slip and trip claim?

The strength of a slip and trip claim usually comes down to evidence, not law. Most accidents happen in premises where liability is at least arguable. The question is whether you can prove what the hazard was and how long it had been there.

In rough order of importance:

Evidence	Why it matters
CCTV footage	Shows the hazard, any warning signs (or their absence), and the accident itself. Most decisive when it shows the spill was present for a significant time.
Maintenance and inspection logs	Reveals whether the hazard was known or should have been identified on a routine sweep.
Accident book entry	A contemporaneous record of what happened, when, and who was told.
Medical records	Links your injury to the accident. Same-day records are significantly stronger than records made days later.
Photographs taken at the scene	Documents the hazard and its surroundings at the time.
Witness evidence	Supports your account, particularly if a witness saw the hazard before the accident.

You do not need every item on this list. Many successful trip and fall claims proceed on CCTV alone, or on a combination of medical records and inspection logs. The absence of a witness statement or accident book entry is common and rarely fatal to a claim.

How much compensation could you receive in a slip and trip claim?

Compensation in a slip and trip claim has two parts: general damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, and special damages for your out-of-pocket financial losses.

General damages are assessed against the Judicial College Guidelines, which set brackets for different types of injury. As a rough guide:

Injury	Typical range
Minor soft tissue (full recovery within 3 months)	£1,000 to £3,000
Moderate soft tissue (recovery 3 to 12 months)	£3,000 to £9,000
Wrist fracture	£3,500 to £30,000
Hip fracture	£10,000 to £50,000+
Ankle fracture	£10,000 to £30,000
Knee injury	£3,000 to £85,000
Shoulder injury	£4,000 to £45,000

These are ranges, not guarantees. The amount in any individual case depends on the severity of the injury, the length of recovery, and the impact on your daily life and ability to work.

Special damages cover financial losses caused by the accident: loss of earnings, care costs, travel to medical appointments, prescription charges, and any adaptations to your home that have become necessary.

How long does a slip and trip claim take?

Most straightforward slip and trip claims settle within 6 to 12 months. Cases involving disputed liability, serious injuries, or ongoing treatment can take 18 to 36 months.

The majority of claims against supermarkets and retailers settle before reaching court. Your solicitor handles negotiations with the retailer's insurers. Most claimants never appear in a courtroom. The Pre-Action Protocol for personal injury claims sets out a structured timetable that both sides follow, which keeps most cases moving and encourages early settlement. A trip and fall accident claim follows the same protocol as any other public liability case.

What is the time limit for a slip and trip claim?

You have three years from the date of your accident to start legal proceedings, under section 2 of the Limitation Act 1980. After that, your claim is almost always barred by the court.

The clock starts on the day of the accident, not the day you first see a doctor or first realise the full extent of your injuries. This is one of the most common misconceptions about slip and trip claims.

There are two main exceptions. If the injured person is a child, the clock starts at 18, so a parent or guardian can bring a claim on their behalf at any point, and the child themselves has until they turn 21. If the claimant lacks mental capacity, the clock does not run during the period of incapacity.

In rare circumstances, the court has discretion to allow a late claim. This is the exception. If you think the three years may have passed, it is still worth speaking to a solicitor before assuming your claim is gone.

Contributory negligence: when you were partly at fault

Your claim does not fail because you were partly responsible. The principle is called contributory negligence. If the court finds you 25% at fault, your compensation is reduced by 25%, but you still receive the remaining 75%.

The other side may argue contributory negligence if you were wearing unsuitable footwear, looking at your phone, or running. These arguments reduce the award. They do not usually defeat the claim entirely, particularly where the hazard was a significant one that even a careful person might not have avoided.

Goodwill payment offers from retailers: why you should not accept

Do not accept any payment or sign any document from a retailer before taking legal advice.

Retailers sometimes offer a small sum shortly after an accident, before any solicitor is involved. Accepting a goodwill payment and signing a release ends your right to bring a formal claim. The amounts offered at this stage are often far below what a represented claimant would receive.

A solicitor's involvement changes the dynamic immediately. The retailer's legal team treats represented claimants differently from unrepresented ones. The cost of involving a solicitor falls on you only if you win, and even then it is a fixed percentage of your award.

Starting your slip and trip claim: next steps

The team at Edward & Amaury Solicitors offers a free initial assessment by phone. The firm handles slip and trip claims across England and Wales on a no win no fee basis, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

No win no fee means: if your claim fails, you pay nothing. If it succeeds, the firm's success fee is capped at 25% of your compensation. After the event (ATE) insurance is arranged to cover the other side's legal costs if the claim fails, and the premium is only payable on success.

Contact the firm with a brief description of your accident, where it happened, and when. You do not need to have gathered evidence before you call. The earlier you get in touch, the more time the firm has to secure time-sensitive evidence, including CCTV footage, before it is overwritten.