What is the owner/operator responsible for regarding dangerous conditions that they know of?

The owner/operator has a responsibility regarding the safety of invitees on their property. An invitee is someone who is invited onto the property for business purposes or a mutual benefit, such as customers in a store or guests in a hotel. The property owner or operator is obligated to ensure that the premises are safe and free from hazardous conditions that could harm invitees.

This duty includes the responsibility to both discover and remedy dangerous conditions that the owner/operator knows of, as well as conditions that they should have known about through reasonable inspection and maintenance. This enhanced duty of care reflects the relationship between the property owner and the invitee, which carries a higher expectation of safety than that owed to other types of visitors, such as licensees or trespassers.

In contrast, a licensee, who is someone invited onto the property for their own purposes, has less protection; the owner is only responsible for known hazards and must not create new dangers. Natural hazards, while they can contribute to liability under some circumstances, are typically understood to be outside the owner/operator's control. Lastly, obvious hazards do not typically hold the same liability under premises liability, as visitors are expected to avoid dangers that are clearly visible. Therefore, focusing on invitees' safety highlights the critical