5 Methods to Prevent Accidents in Your Apartment

Accidents in your apartment can occur anytime, and it is essential to prevent them from happening to prevent significant injury. You may consider your apartment safe, but household risks lurk where you least expect them. In the worst-case scenario, a visitor may sustain an injury in your living space and hold you liable for the accident.

Methods for Preventing Accidents in Your Apartment

You can protect yourself and your guests with the proper precautions, such as taking out a renters insurance policy.

Get a Renters Insurance Policy

Preventing mishaps is your top priority, but sometimes things happen outside your control, especially accidents in your apartment. Insurance safeguards property and people with the following benefits:

• Covers replacement costs of damaged personal property
• Pays for medical expenses in the event of an injury to a guest.
• Covers legal fees if the injured party takes you to court

Keep Your Space Neat

Eliminating clutter plays a significant role in preventing apartment damage. Items on the floor can cause tripping, especially dangerous near stairs. To minimize fall risks, you should keep hallways and high-traffic areas clear of obstruction. Finally, don't block exits, even temporarily — if there's a fire, people may panic, and a small obstacle can turn the situation deadly. Look for spills on wood, vinyl, and other slick surfaces. Slipping and falling may result in minor injuries, but there's always the risk of victims hitting their heads or meeting severe harm. If you notice a spill, clean it up immediately.

Repair Household Issues

Learning how to keep your apartment accident-free can seem daunting once you consider all the things that can go wrong:

• Guests tripping over broken steps
• Visitors losing their balance because of loose railings
• Loved ones tripping on a crack in the bathroom tile

Homeowners are responsible for repairing these issues, or they risk negligence. However, renters can usually file a repair order with the apartment manager, who will arrange for a professional to fix the problem. In most cases, the management company will cover the costs.

Be Smart About Electric Appliances

Electrical appliances are a huge convenience, but they also pose risks of electrocution and fire. Frayed wires can spark, igniting nearby combustible material. Touching exposed wiring can send electricity through your body, leading to burns, internal organ damage, and even death. Overloaded sockets are another significant fire risk. Even if the cables are fine, plugging too many appliances into one wall socket may cause overheating. That excess heat can melt cables and cause flammable materials to catch. Even a power strip or surge protector will only help if you plug in a few electronics. Instead, connect major appliances to their own power sockets and reserve power strips for smaller items, such as lamps and phone chargers.

Reevaluate Your Personal Property and Update Your Renters Insurance

Renters and homeowners insurance companies usually ask for an inventory of personal property for their records. Doing so allows them to value items accurately during the claims process. When you get new, valuable property (such as a couch), you should tell your renters insurance company about the addition. Most policies cap how much they insure to minimize business risk. As a result, you may need to get an additional policy for precious items such as jewelry or electronics.

About David G. Sayles Insurance Services

At David G. Sayles Insurance Services, we help our clients decide which of these options is best for them based on their current situation and risk factors.  Contact us at 1-855-977-1842 or insureme@dsayles.mysites.io for a consultation!