Having a Party?
How much liability insurance do you need when entertaining in your home? Imagine that you are hosting a birthday party for your child at your home. You have hired a face painter, brought in ponies for pony rides, and have a bounce house set up in the backyard. What happens if a child gets hurt while bouncing in the bounce house or has their foot stepped on by the pony? Does your homeowner’s insurance cover it or are you responsible? What about the vendors that you hired? Do they carry insurance or are they relying on your policy to cover any accidents?
Gulf Coast Educators Insurance recommends reviewing your homeowner’s insurance policy before hosting an event at your home. Gulf Coast Educators Insurance also highly recommends that you only hire vendors that are insured. Make sure to check that the vendor’s insurance is up to date and that the vendors are licensed by the state.
Our insurance agents offer these tips when hosting an event at your home:
•If you are having a pool party or have rented a water slide that ends in a pool of water, make sure to hire a lifeguard. Parents have a tendency to visit with each other and lose track of their children. To prevent accidental drownings, always have a lifeguard
•If you own a hot tub, make sure that the hot tub is securely covered
•Lock doors to rooms that you don’t want anyone to access, especially a child, and if there are prescription drugs in that room
•Keep your pets away from your guests. Pets can get excited or agitated by the noise and lash out by biting or knocking small children over depending on the size of your dog
•Remove debris from your lawn so no one gets hurt while bouncing on a bounce house or sliding down a slide
•If you have livestock, keep the livestock fenced in a separate area where small children cannot access
•If you do have a bounce house, make sure there is an adult supervising it at all times. Limit the number of children that are jumping. Do not allow food or drinks inside the jump.
•If you do have pony rides or a petting zoo at your home then make sure that the children wash their hands after petting the animals. Do not let the children share their food with the animals.
Examples of events that you may host at your home include:
• Birthday parties
• Weddings
• Anniversary celebrations
• Graduation parties
• Baby Showers
• Quinceanera celebration
• Bridal Showers
No matter what event you are hosting at your home, Gulf Coast Educators Insurance wants you to be aware of potential liabilities that could occur during your event.