THEY SAY, YOU’RE A LITTLE MUCH FOR ME


major advantages to purchas- ing a home in a common in- terest development. Whether it be a pool, gym, playground, tennis court or clubhouse, these amenities all have ap- peal when we make our home selection. I think one of the major perks to these common area amenities is that as an in- dividual owner you typically do not have the duty to main- tain them.


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What this means is that the association does have a duty to maintain these areas and could potentially face liabil- ity if someone is injured due to lack of maintenance or a failure to draft and/or enforce rules of conduct.


et’s start here: the ame- nities in our develop- ments are one of the


So, what are the risks? Swimming Pools:


Obviously drowning is the biggest con- cern when it comes to pools and hot tubs. However, unclean water or overly treated water, and uneven or slippery pool deck and loose handrails would be other potential sources of liability.


Gyms and Playgrounds:


Ok, so the truth about gyms and play- grounds is that the user can be the    - quires training, and certainly most equipment requires regular mainte- nance. Rules need to be posted. For  I say this because when I was in my  able to bench press twice my weight.


I


was traveling for work and had time to hit the hotel gym. No one was in the gym and I decided to go for my per-


YOU’RE A LIABILITY: Swimming Pools, Gyms, Playgrounds, Clubhouses, Tennis Courts and More.


sonal record. The bar went up and  I couldn’t get it back up again and I was trapped. I had to wait until someone came in to help me. It was embarrassing to say the least.


Clubhouses/Outdoor Grill Areas:


Obviously, when kitchens or fire of any kind are involved, mainte- nance and safety are of the upmost     love to use the common area grills, so rules and regular inspections are key.


Tennis Courts/Basketball Courts:


Like gyms and playgrounds the       user error, so rules must be post- ed. However, improperly main- tained areas could result in cracks or raised surfaces and can cause injury.


 11


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