Furniture Safety

[Erin6332]

Hi! I'm considering hosting since I travel one week on and one week off for my job. My house is old, and Ikea furniture cannot be fixed to the walls. Is acceptable to just warn guests about this? I'd hate for a shelf to fall on a kid/pet, but there is no real way to fix these things to the wall. Thoughts? 

-Erin 

[Emiel1]

@Erin6332 

Your accommodation must be safe and you put yourself at risk if it is not.

[Erin6332]

Itis safe. Its just that Ikea states all their furniture needs to be fixed to a wall. I do not have walls, in my 110 year old house, that can accomadate this. Plus I don't know anyone who actually does it lol 

[Fiona256]

You could buy small brackets to screw into the items that you are concerned about, then fixing them to the walls with these brackets.

[Gillian166]

@Fiona256  I believe the OP said she can't screw into the walls. we have the same problem in some parts of our old house, the sandstone + plaster is not easy to drill in to, you need a masonry bit, and you can actually do more harm as large chunks will fall off the wall if you hit a "bad" spot.  

[Erin6332]

Yeah, those wont work Thanks though

[Mark116]

@Erin6332  Your post is a little confusing.  Most furniture, Ikea or not, isn't attached to the walls or floors, and while Ikea is mostly not wood, it isn't normally dangerously rickety and unsafe. 

But, if you think your furniture is so unstable/old/in disrepair that it would only be safe if it was bolted down, then you probably should not host.

[Gillian166 · Accepted solution]

@Mark116  it's possible that Erin has been made paranoid by Ikea, as much of their furniture comes with brackets to fix it to the wall. some of the wardrobes are pretty light and were a kid to climb in there they might be able to topple it, although given that wardrobes are NOT for climbing in to, I fail to see how that would be Erin's fault, but free-range parenting these days is charmingly responsibility-free!

My solution: don't host kids. Or make parents, in writing, agree that their kids won't climb on the furniture. 

[Erin6332]

Itis safe. Its just that Ikea states all their furniture needs to be fixed to a wall. I do not have walls, in my 110 year old house, that can accomadate this. Plus I don't know anyone who actually does it lol 

[Fiona256]

Please don't feel any obligation to thank us for the helpful suggestions.

[Erin6332]

Ouch. Been busy.

[Bes175]

Once there was a guy, who did consider some 'light-hosting' and thought same way. **[Content removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

He placed Red Warning LABELS on all this things, things that me and you might consider a little unusual [samurai swords, TNT, defensive grenades etc] Then some bad stories came about.Last we heard of: his wife left him, Airbnb froze his listing & Courts of ****** made him bankrupt. **[Content removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines] Despite Warning guests about it, It->the ammunition, enough to turn the average family into local warlords; it was all HIS FAULT.

Guests?

Opened a DISPUTE.

Got a full refund.

[minus cleaning fees]

Only Host got penalised.

[Airbnb never cares about us - HOSTS]

@ Mods, 

Guys, with new changes [cudos to you for the hard-work] this forum looks almost dormant, we can see 1-2-months  & only 3-4-5 topics show at first glance; for experienced user might seem easier but new ones [with branching, labels and so on] is not as originally thought. As a gen.rule: detailed classifications & subdivisions etc are for experts, archives & mainly 'used for study purposes; dynamic situations, everyday use & 'average guy/girl'  - need simplicity & 'less science' B.

[Erin6332]

Its Ikea, not ammo lol

[John5097]

@Erin6332 


This would likely fit all four requirements for negligence. 

Get in touch with insurance provider and lawyer. 

Can also just goole negligence to get a better idea. 

https://www.griffithslawpc.com/resources/elements-negligence-claim/

4 Elements of a Negligence Claim (and more)

Under Colorado law, there are four elements to a claim for negligence:

1. The existence of a legal duty to the plaintiff;
2. The defendant breached that duty;
3. The plaintiff was injured; and,
4. The defendant’s breach of duty caused the injury.

[Erin6332]

I'm leaning towards using some sort of waiver of responsibility. I've stayed in a lot of Air BnBs with Ikea furniture and it has not been adhered to the wall . . . even though the items are recommended to be.