Don’t Get Sued: Keep Your Home Safe For Visitors

We often ask what business or people did or didn’t do, which caused someone else to be injured. But rarely do we ask what we can do, in our own homes, to protect other people. You may not be a business, but you do have an obligation to keep your home safe for visitors. What are things you should and should not do, in order to ensure that your home is as safe as possible for visitors?

Fix things – This may seem obvious, but in our own home, when we know what is or isn’t broken, it can be easy to just ignore small things. For example, we may know the refrigerator leaks a little bit, or that there is a piece of crown molding wood that juts out on the ground or that a stairway handrail is a bit wobbly.

But visitors to your home don’t know any of that, and they can be injured by those small annoying problems that are so easy for us to ignore or put off until tomorrow.

Warn of dangerous conditions – Sometimes, there is a dangerous condition that we can’t fix, or can’t fix right now, or maybe we’re waiting to get it fixed. Just like a store does, you should get into the habit of using warnings, so visitors know a dangerous condition exists, and so they can avoid the area.

The warnings can be signs that warn of danger, but they can also be areas that are roped off, or areas that have cones or other barriers, the way a store would use.

The dog – Yes, you can be liable if your dog injures someone. And before you remind us that Fido is really very sweet, he doesn’t have to be aggressive or biting or attacking; you are liable even if Fido playfully injures someone, such as if he jumps on someone or a child, causing the person to fall, or if the dog’s claws accidentally scratch someone.

Supervise – One major cause of homeowner’s liability claims, is the failure to supervise children. Our kids often have friends over, and sometimes they have a lot of friends. You, as the adult in the home, are responsible for those kids and their safety.

Yet, often we leave kids on their own, by a pool, or to play outside, as the supervising adults go do their own thing. This can be very dangerous; always look after kids, especially younger ones and especially when there is more than 2-3 kids in the home

Watch your things – Young kids can harm themselves with even casual household items that are laying around, like scissors or electrical cords. Older kids are less prone to accidents, but more prone to wanting to play with or use dangerous items, like weapons, cars, or golf carts.

Call the West Palm Beach injury law attorneys at Pike & Lustig today to help you recover compensation if you are injured in someone else’s home or property.

Sources:

allstate.com/resources/home-insurance/what-does-home-liability-cover

rmiia.org/homeowners/Liability_Coverage/Liability_coverage.asp