What is the duty of care for property owners?

Property owners’ duty of care encompasses maintaining reasonably safe conditions through inspection, maintenance, warning, and remediation activities protecting lawful visitors. Regular property inspections must identify developing hazards before causing injuries with frequency based on property use and traffic. Actual knowledge of dangers triggers immediate action requirements regardless of inspection schedules. Constructive knowledge applies when reasonable inspections would discover hazards existing for sufficient time. Maintenance obligations include structural repairs, surface upkeep, lighting functionality, and hazard removal. Warning duties require adequate notice of unavoidable temporary dangers through signs, barriers, or verbal alerts. Different standards apply based on visitor classification with business invitees receiving maximum protection. Open and obvious dangers may reduce but not eliminate duties particularly for unavoidable hazards. Special knowledge of hidden dangers creates enhanced obligations beyond apparent conditions. Foreseeability of criminal acts may require security measures in high-crime areas. Natural conditions on undeveloped land generally create no duties absent unusual circumstances. Understanding duty components helps establish breach when dangerous conditions cause injuries.