Do any of your properties have a deck?  A pool or hot tub?  Wooden steps or an outdoor staircase?  A gas grill?

I’m thinking most of you are saying yes to at least one of those. And if you shake your head to them all, how about a source of carbon monoxide within the home, or the potential of a fire due to a guest smoking inside, or having a fat fire on the stove.

Let’s face it, the risk of a guest having some sort of accident in one of your homes is not insignificant, yet safety isn’t a common theme in Facebook groups and forums. Why?  Because until an accident happens and the fateful knock on the door when you are served the lawsuit comes, it’s not a hot topic.

Today’s guest is a former firefighter and former US Coast Guard Safety Inspection Officer, as well as being the founder of a property management company. He’s now the Director of Safety Certification at Breezeway – the property care and safety platform - and eminently qualified to talk on the topic of vacation rental safety and what we need to do to protect our owners and guests from the potential of injury and subsequent liability claims.

Justin Ford wants us all to take the issue of safety more seriously and to spend a lot more time paying attention to the different areas of a home where problems can emerge.

We talk about incidents that have occurred at vacation homes – some that have had fatal consequences.

The fire that could have been prevented by the provision of a fire extinguisher; the deck that collapsed because of poor construction, and the toddler who’s drowning in the pool led to the development of Water Guardian tags.  

He also shares information on smoke alarms, CO monitors, and international safety codes.

By the end of this episode, you’ll be creating plans for safety inspections.

I was!

In this episode Justin shares

• Why we need to pay attention to international building codes
• A simple check on a propane tank that could save lives
• The places you should not keep a fire extinguisher
• The reasons a poorly constructed deck could collapse
• The legacy of Levi Hughes and why any owner with a pool needs to take heed
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Visit our YouTube page to see the full interview with images

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Links to sites mentioned in this episode:

‍Breezeway

‍Water Guardians

‍Deck collapse at Virginia Beach