4 Pressing Reasons to Repair Parking Lot Potholes and Concrete Cracks

Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.

When was the last time you repaired your parking lot or sidewalks? Are you sitting on necessary repairs, trying to fit it into your budget before calling a professional? Whether you’ve known about a problem for a while or you’ve just discovered it, you can’t afford to postpone repairs.

If you’re on the fence about spending the money on asphalt or concrete repairs, the following reasons will offer some motivation.

Aesthetics matter

Ideally, everyone would only pay attention to what’s on the inside of your store. However, the harsh reality is that aesthetics matter. If your building and surrounding property look run down or are falling apart, that will degrade the perception of your business. If you’re in the food service industry, you might even lose customers who prefer to enjoy their meals in a more aesthetically pleasing environment.

The most common types of damage that make retail businesses look run down include:

Excessive potholes in the parking lot
Cracks in the sidewalk due to tree roots growing underneath
Uneven or cracked concrete around pipes, manholes, and stairs

The good news is that you don’t need to shut down your business for most concrete repairs. In most cases, a professional company can get the job done in just a few hours. Check out these concrete repair summaries with photos to see what’s possible, including the time it took for specific repairs.

You can’t afford a lawsuit or a settlement

Many businesses wouldn’t financially survive a serious personal injury lawsuit. Whether your case goes to trial or you settle, you’re going to spend a small fortune in litigation fees. Going to trial is more expensive than settling, and unless the plaintiff truly has no case against you, you’ll be out some serious cash.

The outcome of a personal injury lawsuit will vary depending on details specific to each case. However, businesses are held to high legal standards regarding injuries that occur on the property.

Don’t expect the same outcome as past cases

It’s easy to find cases online regarding people who have been injured from broken concrete and asphalt. In many of these cases, courts have ruled that uneven concrete must be elevated more than a 3/4-inch to be considered a significant risk for injury.

Many injured plaintiffs have lost their cases when judges ruled that uneven concrete in a public space was too trivial to hold the city accountable. However, when you’re operating a business, you can’t expect to get that lucky.

There are situations where the city has been held accountable. For instance, in 2020, a motorcyclist won a $2.65 million judgment after large potholes caused him to crash and suffer serious injuries. The same accident occurring on private property would likely end the same - in favor of the injured party.

It’s imperative to have business liability insurance that covers personal injury situations. You can avoid having to use your insurance by maintaining your property and fixing problems as quickly as possible.

It’s the right thing to do

Keeping your premises safe for employees and customers is the responsible thing to do. Your customers and employees expect a safe environment that doesn’t require their energy to verify.

The potential for getting sued shouldn’t be your only motivation to make your property safe. Make your repairs because you care about people and you don’t want them to get hurt.

Small problems can grow quickly

What looks like a small problem today can escalate by the end of the week, or sooner, depending on the problem. In most cases, you’ll see the problem start before it gets too bad. This is the time to make your repairs - before the damage gets worse.

If you wait to make repairs, the damage will get worse and by the time you’re ready to fix it, you’ll have to pay more, and it will take longer.

Don’t procrastinate on concrete and asphalt repairs. Instead of roping off an area with potholes, get it fixed. If you’re dealing with a problem area that always floods, look into getting drainage installed in that area. You’ll save more time, money, and resources in the long run if you make repairs early.

Start an ongoing budget for repairs

If you haven’t already allocated a portion of your budget to concrete and asphalt repairs, don’t wait any longer. At some point, you’ll need to deal with this type of repair. When that day arrives, you’ll be thankful you put it in your budget.

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