When someone is injured as a result of unsafe property or building conditions, they may have a right to make a claim for their damages against the owner of the property.

In some states the landowner's duty to protect an entrant on the land depends on whether that person is a trespasser, licensee or an invitee. The landowner's duties are different for each type of entrant. The landowner owes less of a duty to protect the trespasser then the other types of entrants. The landowner's duty of care is highest for business invitees. Some states, however, have done away with these multiple classifications in favor of one standard of "reasonableness under the circumstances" of a particular case.