The laws governing premises liability—the potential responsibility of a property owner for injuries suffered on his or her premises—require that residential and commercial property owners take reasonable steps to monitor property for potentially dangerous situations, and that they either remedy those problems or provide adequate warning of the risks involved. In most instances, this involves some sort of structural breakdown or defect—broken steps or stairs, slippery floors or sidewalks.

But the duty to ensure the safety of legitimate visitors to your property also involves taking reasonable measures to protect their safety when you know or should know that they are at risk of harm from muggings or physical attacks. If your property is in a high crime area—if there have been prior incidents on your property (or even nearby), you may be responsible for injuries suffered if you don’t take reasonable measures to minimize the risk of a mugging; accusations of negligent security can plague owners.

Here are some of the steps you can take to protect your interests:

• Install adequate lighting—Dark corners and alleyways provide convenient cover for a lot of illegal activity. Install and maintain good lighting.
• Ensure that all locks and security systems are completely functional—If you have restricted access to the building or property, make certain all systems work, so that no one gets in without permission.
• Monitor and maintain fences and other barriers
• If you have security guards, perform random checks on them to make certain they are doing their jobs.
• Install security camera and motion-sensitive lights

Contact Our Office

To arrange a free initial consultation, contact us online or call our office at (302) 777-1000. Evening and weekend meetings can be arranged upon request. We will come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.