Owning property or running a business on a piece of property could result in your holding liability for any incidents that take place on that property. While most of the time you may have little to worry about in regard to the safety of others who visit the premises, you could find yourself in a difficult situation if a safety issue arises and a person suffers injuries. In such cases, the injured party may feel the need to take legal action against you.
Premises liability claims could cause difficulties for you and your business. Therefore, you may want to do your part to prevent reason for such a claim to come about. One issue in particular you may want to remain aware of is exterior property maintenance.
Thinking outside the building
Because you may conduct most of your business or other affairs inside a building on the property, you likely take the time to focus on inside safety and maintenance. While ensuring that someone quickly cleans spills or reduces tripping hazards can help lessen the possibility of someone becoming injured, you also need to remember that serious hazards could exist outside the building, and that you could also be liable for injuries those hazards cause.
Visitors to the building, occupants or even individuals simply passing by could easily fall victim to dangerous conditions. By remaining vigilant about exterior maintenance, you may also lessen the likelihood of accidents and injuries.
Types of exterior maintenance
Two types of exterior maintenance could help you stay on top of any issues that may arise. Those types include:
- Preventative maintenance – This type of maintenance involves your keeping up a regular schedule of maintenance checks and repairs.
- Unplanned maintenance – Even with a regular maintenance schedule, issues could still come about in between checks. If a patron, resident or visitor informs you of an issue, or you or an employee notices a problem, such as a spill or obstruction, you may need to take unplanned steps to remedy the issue before it poses a safety concern.
Though it may seem overdone to continuously check property for potential issues, regular maintenance could ensure the safety of yourself, your employees, patrons and other individuals.
Injuries on the premises
In the event that a person does become injured or claims to have suffered injuries on your property, you may worry about the impact that a premises liability claim could have. Luckily, you have the opportunity to defend against such claims, and records of routine maintenance may help you dispute any false or inaccurate claims.
