Tenant requesting to rent bounce house/waterslide

[Christopher B Holbert]

Tenant requesting to rent a bounce house and an inflatable waterslide from a local company to use on property for a birthday party. My gut tells me to say no to avoid opening myself up to the liability. This tenant has been very compliant with lease terms, never causes problems, ands always pays rent on time. However, the lease does not have any clauses pertaining to such matter (as of now). Is there anyway I can say yes and also protect myself? What would you do in this situation and how should I handle it? #newbielandlord

[JD Martin]

Well, a couple of thoughts:

1. If you have good insurance it really shouldn't be an issue;

2. The tenants could/should have renter's insurance with you named as additional insured, which would provide another buffer;

3. The bounce house people should have insurance and should be able to provide that to you upon request;

4. You could have them sign a waiver of responsibility for safe use. Or specify that they have to get some kind of group insurance policy if their intention is to have a big party with lots of guests bouncing around in there. 

Not everything is a lawsuit in waiting. When in doubt just contact your own insurance agent; they'll give you good guidance on how to proceed.