Waterfront safety standards at STRs?

[James Carlson]

Any STR owners or vacation rental property managers here with waterfront properties?

What kind of safety policies do you have in place?

• -- Signage?
• -- Ladders on the dock?
• -- Life vests? (If so, right there or elsewhere?)
• -- Notification in listings/auto registration emails/communication with guests?

What else?

[Collin Hays]

All of my cabins except one are waterfront (small-ish rivers or large creeks).  

We warn guests in our welcome email about the risks of being next to water, the reality of needing to watch small children at all times, avoid the water when it is running high, etc.

But we do not provide life vests or signage.  There is a fine line in best efforts to provide safety and assuming more liability.  For example, if I put a "caution" sign on one end of the creek, but a drowning happens at the other end of the creek where I didn't put a sign, am I now liable because I didn't have signs on both ends of the creek?  If I provide life vests, but there are 5 kids and only 3 life vests, and one of the kids not wearing a vest drowns, am I now liable because I didn't provide enough life vests?