Inspect your property with the eye of a personal injury attorney or someone who may be looking to take advantage of your liability. Here’s how:
Landscape Liability Considerations
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Slip, Trip and Fall – people don’t always pay careful attention to their surroundings, keep an eye out for these common hazards and routinely survey your property for anything that may lead to injury:
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loose landscaping materials (especially if it has made its way out of intended areas and on to walking paths)
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uneven sidewalks – cracks and raised sections
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hoses lying on the ground
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elevated sprinkler heads when not in use
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exposed roots
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Vehicle Damage – damage to vehicles can be very expensive to repair and is sure to upset otherwise happy patrons or residents.
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trim back any bushes, shrubs or tree branches which extend into parking areas causing paint scratches
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be mindful of tree sap and other organic material that may fall from tree canopies onto vehicles below
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instruct those who may be sweeping or blowing to be extra careful around vehicles, read more about the benefits of power sweeping over blowing here
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Crime Prevention – good landscape management makes your property less attractive to criminals and provide legitimate users with a sense of safety
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keep spaces open and uncluttered so that anyone in the area is easily observable
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invest in proper outdoor lighting in order to illuminate buildings and parking areas
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install fences and utilize landscaping to guide foot traffic only to desired areas and control access to places people have no business being
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fencing options include chain link, wood, wrought iron and brick, each has it’s own benefits and considerations including cost to install and maintain, aesthetics, effectiveness and likelihood of being a target for graffiti
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landscaping options come in many forms – some ground cover such as Juniper is very difficult to walk on due to it’s thick and tangled vines, hostile vegetation such as cactus and rose bushes have inherent prickly deterrents, and lava rock which makes a crunchy sound when walked on can act as an audible alert
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learn more about crime prevention techniques and best practices for property safety here
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