Yeah you do want to watch for this sort of thing. Many municpalities now have "social host" ordinances. In some cases, the language of the ordinance could even make a homeowner responsible when they are not present. For example, parents leave town and Junior throws a party where underage drinking occurs. The parents could be cited even if they had no idea because they reasonably should have known that underage drinking would occur while they were gone. How far does the liability go? I don't know, but what if one of Junior's friends left drunk, drove and killed somebody?

I just wanted to reply so I could say how much I appreciate the way you've described the issues. Post more about this!