The Attractive Nuisance in Your Yard

Happy summer! Congrats to all the recent graduates and their parents.

Just wanted to take a moment and discuss the insurance jargon “attractive nuisance”. Attractive nuisances are the things in your yard that make it the gathering spot of the neighborhood. It could be a swimming pool, treehouse, playset, trampoline or any other attractive, but potentially dangerous, thing that draws the neighborhood kids to your yard. So, what exactly does this mean besides an increased grocery budget?

First, with increased traffic comes increased exposure. These guests who frequent your yard create additional liability exposure. If someone is injured on your property or you are negligent, medical payments coverage and liability can apply. We recently discussed some details of this type of coverage in another blog. It’s also important to remember we are not suggesting that you don’t have these items on your property, you just need to be alert and aware of potential issues.

Second, it’s extremely important that you make sure your insurance carrier and agent know what is in your yard. Your carrier may have underwriting restrictions on some of these things, so make sure to check in before purchasing these items. Examples would be swimming pools that need a fence or a locking gate and trampolines that might need netting. Unfortunately, some carriers may have underwriting guidelines which state they will not insure some of these things. If you do have a pool with a slide and diving board or trampoline, it is critical the carrier knows these things prior to the insurance policy being written just in case any of these issues arise. Most insurance carriers have some rules regarding the items and whether they are acceptable or not. The good news is that in most instances, if you get these things through underwriting and the policy is issued, there are not any other specific exclusions which prohibit coverage.  However, there are instances where if the insurance company finds out about an exposure (most do inspections of the property they insure) that they are not comfortable with, they can cancel the policy. As always if you have one of these things, its vital that you contact your agent for full details.

Personally, there is nothing I can think of that creates more crazy claims and injuries than a trampoline. Often, there are too many kids jumping and they end up running into each other or the fly off the side causing injuries. Additionally, sometimes parents and grandparents (perhaps after a few glasses of their favorite brand of liquid courage) hop in to play with the kids or win the bet that they can complete a back flip. The results can be broken bones, torn ACL’s, stitches, and concussions… We have seen all of these.

Obviously summer toys are great fun but it’s important to be aware of the exposure and do what you can to control it. If you have an attractive nuisance in your yard and have not yet adjusted your coverage, contact American Advantage – Lindow Agency at (262) 548-8070 to learn more.

Thanks again for the opportunity to protect your families.

Jon