Homeowners might want to avoid causing any harm to neighbors or pedestrians. Keeping the sidewalk clean in front of a Michigan home could do more than improve appearances. Such steps involve loss prevention, as the homeowner seeks to reduce slip-and-fall accidents and other liabilities. While many homeowners understand the basics of reducing potential hazards, they might not be familiar with the dangers of an “attractive nuisance.”
Attractive nuisances, children, and liabilities
An “attractive nuisance” is something that may catch the eye of children, draw them onto the property, and expose them to harm. A swimming pool would be a perfect example, but so might a dog house that looks like a little kid’s clubhouse. Hanging a tire from a tree branch with a rope may harken back to the homeowner’s childhood, but the display may lead kids to the property where they might hurt themselves.
Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving displays might do the same. And homeowners need to know anything on their property that falls under the description of an attractive nuisance that might lead them to legal troubles.
Understanding the risks
A homeowner insurance policy provider could send a customer a notice of cancellation warning the client to remove an attractive nuisance. Not everyone receives such letters or knows what an attractive nuisance is. Regardless, a homeowner may still face liability claims if he or she should have reasonably known an attractive nuisance exists.
For example, a trampoline reflects an obvious attractive nuisance. Owning a trampoline on full display combined with leaving driveway gates open 24/7 could establish property owner negligence and open doors to a personal injury suit.
An attorney may review a case to determine the extent of a homeowner’s negligence. The attorney could then help victims initiate a claim against an insurance company.