Going on vacation without your pets? Be careful with your house-sitters!

In a recent court decision, the New York Appellate Division (3^rd Department) reminded homeowners that they still have an obligation to keep their property in safe condition while they’re on vacation.

Vance v. Burkhart (Pritzker, J., 7/3/24)

The homeowners went on vacation to Florida, and arranged for their neighbors to stay at the house and take care of the property owners’ two dogs.  A huge storm dropped over 2-feet of snow on the area.  The neighbor had to clear a spot on the back deck for the dogs to get outside and go to the bathroom.  The neighbor fell, and severely injured his foot, requiring medical care that ended with the foot being amputated. The homeowners asked for the case to be dismissed but lost, and the appellate court agreed, noting that traveling on vacation did not relieve the property owners of their duty to “make reasonable arrangements for snow and ice removal” at their home, even if they were out of town and in the Florida sun.

You can read more of Tim Higgins’ appellate case summaries in his columns featured in the Saratoga County Bar Association Newsletter