What do trampolines have to do with your home insurance? Suprisingly a lot! Homes that have a trampoline on the property are more likely to have a liability claim on their home insurance. Liability claims, especially when it comes to those relating to trampoline injuries can be costly. Insurance companies require trampoline owners to perform some basic safety measures before they will even allow you to have insurance. The include:
- A fenced yard. A trampoline can be considered an “attractive nuisance“. An attractive nuisance can be a pool, play structure, trampoline or other attractive item to a child. Courts can hold you liable for injuries, even if you didn’t invite the child to play on your property. A fence helps to defend you against the attractive nuisance argument.
- Safety Netting. Safety netting is a newer phenomenon in the world of trampolines, becoming more common in the past 30 years. Safety netting prevents some of the more serious trampoline injuries, which include falling the trampoline and onto the hard ground. Even if you have an older trampoline, Amazon sells retro fits for under $100 to add a net around an older trampoline.
- Trampoline Anchors. This is a newer requirement that we’re seeing, but quite important. You may have seen photos or videos of trampolines flying through the air during a wind storm. If your trampoline goes airborn during a storm, it could cause damage to your home, other property or even hit an individual. The homeowner could be held liabile for this bodily injury or property damage. Trampoline anchors are a great idea and cost as little as $30 for afull set on Amazon.
It’s also a good idea for trampoline owners to supplement their personal liability insurance with an umbrella policy. For as little as $10-$20 a month, you can have an additional $1,000,000 of liability protection.
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