Make Your Home Safer For Guests To Avoid Insurance Claims

If you frequently have people visit your home for any reason, it's important to think about their safety while they're under your roof. This topic isn't simply about making sure that your home has a burglar alarm and a working smoke detector – the reality is that if one of your visitors gets injured in your home for any reason, it's possible that you'll face a lawsuit because of the injury. While your home insurance provider might cover you up to a certain amount, you'll be looking at an eventual rate increase. To lessen the risk of this situation, here are some ways to increase the safety inside your home.

Add Grip To Slippery Areas

Given that falling is a common way for people to be injured inside or outside the home, it's important to look at potential slippery areas. While it's smart to always sand your driveway and walkway when it's icy, take some other creative approaches. For example, if your front porch is slippery when wet, painting it with a clear, anti-skid adhesive won't change the porch's appearance but will cover it in countless tiny granules that improve traction. If the area inside the front door is made of a smooth material such as hardwood, be sure to use an anti-skid mat.

Keep Harmful Products Locked Up

If your frequent visitors have children, you need to be vigilant about ensuring that they're not injured. This goes beyond installing baby gates and door locks. Think about any potentially harmful products with which the children could come into contact. This list includes products such as medication and razors in the bathroom, household cleaners in a utility room and cleaning chemicals in the garage. Make sure that all these products are in locked cabinets where they can't be accessed by kids.

Attach Tall Furniture To The Wall

Keeping children in mind, it's important to remember that tall furniture can pose a risk for kids. Many children will be enticed to play around furniture or even climb objects such as bookshelves. You can reduce the risk of such items falling forward and crushing the child by anchoring them to the studs of the walls with heavy straps; these are readily available at home improvement stores.

Install Trim To Stair Edges

If you have hardwood stairs, they might have significant visual appeal but are likely slippery to visitors in their socked feet. You can reduce the risk of someone slipping off the stairs and falling by installing trim to the edges of each stair. Non-slip trim is typically made of rubber and provides solid footing for people using the stairs.

For more information on how you can improve the safety of your home, talk with a representative from your homeowners insurance company.


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