Even if a person is not engaged in an activity which tends to give rise to lawsuits, such as driving, or providing a service to the public, they may find themselves defending a legal action. By owning a property and sometimes just by occupying it, an individual acquires a responsibility to other users of the property and possibly even to passers-by. If a tree is growing on the property which has a rotten limb, or a yard fence has become dangerously unstable, that can cause injury to a pedestrian passing the property. A lawsuit could result.
One can even be liable for damage caused to trespassers on the property. If a child is attracted into the property by fruits growing in what seems to the child’s eyes to be an open space although it is your yard, and the yard is not in any way closed off, then you may end up liable for any harm suffered by that child whilst on your property.
You have a responsibility to prevent children from trespassing if your property has obvious attractions for them, and if you do not stop them from entering, then you have a duty to make the property safe.
So it is extremely important to have property insurance which covers you for the risk of claims by third parties for damage done to them as a result of your failure to maintain the property in a safe condition. In these times the amount claimed in this sort of case can be mind-boggling, and the cheapest way to satisfy yourself that your insurance cover is good enough is to opt for an extra policy: an umbrella policy which will click in after your main public liability policy has been exhausted by a big claim. This sort of top-up insurance is not as costly as increasing cover to the desired level on you original policy, and can be equally good for your peace of mind.