Trick-or-treat: Guidelines For Associations

It’s that time of year again! Many of your associations will have many ghosts and goblins running around your neighborhoods around October 31. Here are a few tips to make Halloween in your neighborhood a safer experience and also limit liability for the Association:

1) Follow any city guidelines regarding dates and times for trick-or-treating. The Association does not want to alter these for several reasons, one of which being police patrolling during trick-or-treating.

2) If you have a newsletter for your residents, encourage them to park in their driveways and not in the street, preferably in their garages. On Halloween 2003, a child was killed at an association after he was run over by a car after the driver’s view was obstructed by a parked vehicle.

3) Make sure you don’t turn Halloween into an “event” at your association. Some associations want to block off streets or have get-togethers on common areas to celebrate. If you do this, make sure you contract your insurance company to get event liability coverage for Halloween.

4) If your Association has any ongoing construction projects or hazardous areas, make sure these areas are blocked with proper fencing, caution tape and/or cones. This means not just for sidewalks or streets, but in the middle of yards, as well, as kids tend to cut across the grass to get to the next house.

5) Especially if you live in attached housing, make sure residents are following guidelines about open flames on porches. Chances are that your Association documents prevent open flames on limited common areas (such as porches), so encourage residents to use battery-powered lighting devices.

6) If you live in apartment-style condos, be aware of opening up the doors to outsiders due to theft and liability concerns. A policy stating that trick-or-treating within the building can only be for owners and their guests is preferable.

7) Do a general spot check of the neighborhood beforehand. Make sure any Association-operated street lights are not burned out and that wet leaves do not cover the sidewalks

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