Snow and Ice Management: Mission Hill Commercial Properties

How important are snow removal services to your commercial property? During the winter months, commercial property owners in the Greater Boston area need to have a snow and ice management contract with a reputable service provider. Mission Hill snow removal isn’t just required by law in Massachusetts, it’s the right thing to do. It provides safety for your employees, tenants, and visitors to the property and it helps to protect your investment.

Snow removal for commercial property owners is a foregone conclusion in the northeastern states. If you don’t have a contract with a Mission Hill general contractor who can provide you with reliable snow removal services, the time to get one is now. After a pretty extreme winter season in Massachusetts, the chances are good that you were either out there with de-icer and a snowblower yourself or had to hire emergency services. Save time, money, and protect your commercial property by hiring TRI Construction for snow and ice management.

Liability Risks

The first reason why most commercial property owners hire Mission Hill snow removal services is to protect them from liability risks associated with slip and fall injuries. All you need is one customer slipping and falling on snow or ice that you failed to remove in a timely manner and you could be facing a substantial lawsuit. The cost for snow removal services is far less than what you might have to pay if the customer won their lawsuit. Icy parking lots can be a potential hazard, causing thousands of dollars of damage if a car careens out of control and hits other vehicles. Not only could you be held responsible, but your tenant could also be sued by the customer, creating a negative working relationship for the future.

In Massachusetts, the state law governs the legal responsibilities of snow removal for commercial property owners. State laws require the owners and the tenants of the commercial property to act responsibly and reasonably with regard to snow and ice management. This doesn’t just apply to customers, but to other visitors as well, including business associates, vendors, employees, and delivery personnel. The sooner you can get a licensed and certified Mission Hill general contractor to take care of snow removal services following a snowfall, the better. Make sure to have an agreement in place as well regarding de-icing to prevent slips and falls on your property. Sidewalks, walkways, parking lots, steps, stairs, and even outdoor landscape areas need to be cleared of snow and ice.

Reasonable Care in Massachusetts

Because the laws regarding snow and ice management for commercial property owners change frequently, it is important to stay up on any updates in your state. For example, the laws regarding snow removal services and ice management in Massachusetts changed vastly in recent years. Massachusetts law requires property owners to be charged with a duty of “reasonable care” to all lawful visitors. This includes keeping the property in a reasonably safe condition to reduce any foreseeable risks. With regard to snow and ice management, Massachusetts now requires property owners to provide reasonable care for natural accumulations of snow and ice hazards, even for residential properties.

With regard to the landlord-tenant law in Massachusetts, the court will typically assign liability for personal injuries to the tenant. That means that unless a contract was made where the landlord agreed to make repairs and provide snow removal services, the tenant would be responsible. So a store owner leasing a space might be responsible for making sure that liability risks associated with snow and ice management. Whether you are the property owner or a tenant leasing commercial space, it is important to find out where you stand with regard to liability for Mission Hill snow removal and ice control. Depending on the type of property and whether there is shared control of certain areas, such as a large shopping center parking lot, the property owner might be liable instead of the tenant – even in Massachusetts.

Get a FREE Quote from TRI Construction

If you are interested in learning more about hiring a Mission Hill general contractor or Mission Hill snow removal service for your commercial property, contact us at 617-288-1255. We can provide you with a free quote for snow and ice management services. Unlike other seasonal service providers, TRI Construction offers snow removal services. That means we clear and remove the snow and ice from your property and take it to one of our snow farms outside the city. This helps to prevent issues caused when the built-up snow begins to melt and works to improve safety for your commercial property beyond basic shoveling and salting.