Commercial Property Maintenance: Standards and Best Practices
Owners of residential and commercial properties have specific responsibilities to tenants and visitors. For commercial properties in particular, one vital responsibility is to make sure the property is adequately maintained. In addition to general upkeep, property owners or managers must ensure there are no hazardous conditions on the property that could result in injury.
When commercial property owners fail to properly maintain their grounds, it’s all too easy for someone to get hurt. As an experienced Colorado Springs premises liability lawyer, I can help you pursue compensation for the injuries you sustained while on someone else’s property. I’m a former insurance attorney who knows all the ways insurers will try to deny you compensation. With my help, my clients have recovered millions of dollars for their injuries. Get your free case review today by calling my office or visiting my contact page.
What Is Preventative Maintenance?
Preventative maintenance is the act of preserving a property in an optimal condition by completing specific maintenance activities. By taking care of small issues before they become massive problems, property owners can maintain a safe, clean environment while also lowering the chance of someone getting hurt in a serious accident.
Some common examples of preventative maintenance include:
- Regularly cleaning common areas in both the exterior and interior of the property, such as corridors, roofs, and entertaining areas
- Disposing of garbage, recyclable materials, and other waste
- Cleaning up spills promptly
- Servicing and repairing appliances and the property’s electrical system
- Conducting routine safety inspections of things like mechanical and electrical systems, fire alarms and sprinklers, stairwells, guardrails, and other issues to prevent injury
What Is the Duty of Safety for a Commercial Property Owner?
Property owners have a legal duty to provide a clean and safe environment for everyone on the premises. This includes commercial property owners as well. By opening their property to the public, the property owner accepts the responsibility to keep their grounds safe for visitors, guests, tenants, and others. These individuals have a right to expect that the property will be safe and that they will not be harmed from commercial property accidents.
Part of the property owner’s legal duty of safety includes proper maintenance. If a property isn’t properly maintained, such as if slippery floors aren’t cleaned up or the electrical system isn’t regularly inspected, someone could easily get hurt due to the property owner’s negligence. In these instances, a premises liability attorney can help the victim file a claim for compensation.
Standards and Best Practices of Commercial Property Ownership
There are a few guidelines property owners should follow to minimize the chance of someone being injured on their property. They include:
- Creating a planned maintenance schedule instead of reacting to obvious hazards
- Writing the maintenance plan down and making sure it’s followed
- Regularly inspecting high-traffic and/or especially dangerous areas for hazards. For example, slippery floors should generally be inspected frequently to make sure there are no spilled liquids that could cause an injury.
- Keeping thorough records of inspections
- Fixing active hazards as quickly as possible
Have Questions? Contact Premises Liability Lawyer Jeffrey Scott Lasswell Today
Do you have questions about a potential premises liability claim? I’d be happy to answer them for you and walk you through your legal options. You can get a free initial consultation by calling my office or by visiting my contact page. When you call for your free case review, you will talk to me, a Colorado Springs slip and fall lawyer.