Parking Lot Liabilities: What You Need to Know
A big part of owning a property is maintenance. This is especially true in the case of commercial properties, which are required to meet standards that personal properties are not. Failure to maintain your property can result in potential lawsuits. How? Because of parking lot liabilities.
Personal Injury and Property Damage
In an earlier blog post, we briefly covered personal injury as a result of a pothole. If a customer gets into an accident because of a pothole on your property, and it can be proven that you were aware of the pothole prior to the accident taking place, you could be sued for damages. This also goes for personal injury as a result of potholes and all tripping hazards, including damaged inlets and damaged parking stops. And don’t assume that these incidents are extremely rare—It’s estimated that in 2017, 500 deaths occurred as a result of parking lot accidents and even more resulted in injuries.
In addition to structural issues and tripping hazards, poor lighting and poor security can also result in injury, property damage, and potential lawsuits. Something as simple as a damaged fence can be considered a security issue. Poor lighting can result in vehicular accidents and increases the danger of tripping hazards for pedestrians. These are easy problems to fix. Being proactive and fixing these issues now can save you a lot of money and heartache in the future.
ADA Compliance
In addition to keeping up structural maintenance, a commercial property owner must also be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This includes handicap parking spaces, clear signage, and proper parking lot painting/striping. There are lots of specific rules concerning handicap spaces, the number of required parking spaces, the number of spaces large enough to accommodate vans, and much more.
Courtesy of access-board.gov
For a full rundown visit the United States Access Board. But it’s not enough to know what you need to do; you have to have a way to do it. Dare can affix and repair your signage. We can do all your parking lot striping as well.
But do I really need to do all this for my little property?
Yes. A commercial property is a commercial property and must be fully maintained and meet all regulations. Failure to do so will result in parking lot liabilities. You should also check your state’s specific zoning and land use laws to make sure your property is functioning within the law. Once you know what you need for your commercial property, call Dare! Our dedicated team can rejuvenate your property and make it better than ever. Then, we’ll be there to help you maintain your property—Power sweeping, parking lot striping, crack sealing, inlet repair, landscaping, and more.
