Children don’t think about risks when playing, but a ball smashing into a mirrored surface, a spoon shattering the screen of a kitchen appliance, a scooter scratching a parked car or a neighbour’s precious parquet floor becoming the canvas for a young artist can turn out to be quite costly for their parents.

Seesam’s Insurance Product Manager Dagmar Gilden says that such claims are not uncommon. “Perfectly innocent games can all too easily result in thousands of euros in claims due to a single misstep,” she explained. “And because people are buying ever more expensive cars, furniture and appliances, the amount of damage their children are causing is on the rise as well.”

Bicycles and airborne objects are the main perpetrators

Seesam’s home insurance statistics show that such incidents most commonly involve damage done by bikes or scooters to cars. Occasionally the ‘victim’ is the family’s own car, but often it is someone else’s vehicle in a car park. “Only recently we had a case of a child falling off their bike in the parking area next to their apartment building and doing 550 euros in damage to a neighbour’s car in the process,” she said. “But the biggest incident we’ve dealt with so far this year involved a child running straight into a car on their bike. Luckily they weren’t injured, but the crash led to a hefty repair bill for the car: 5600 euros.”

Gilden says that airborne objects of all varieties are the second most common cause of damage involving children. In one recent case, a spoon went flying through the air and hit the touchscreen of a coffee maker, necessitating repairs, while in another, some children managed to break both a mirrored wardrobe door and a windowpane, racking up 1000 euros in damage. Televisions, whose screens are no match for the likes of flying balls and blocks, are also often affected,

and cars too get hit in ball games. The latter can result in scratches, chipped paint and broken windows and wing mirrors.

Who pays for collapsing cupboards and permanent-marker art on parquet floors?

“You just can’t foresee every situation where kids are concerned, so accidents can happen when you least expect them,” says Gilden. “Not all that long ago we had a case where a child climbed up onto a very full cupboard which then gave way under their weight and fell off the wall. The child wasn’t harmed, fortunately, but the obstacle course they created led to a petty big claim. In another case, a child carrying a bowl slipped and fell against a worktop, damaging not only the marble surface but also the dishwasher door below it. In total, the claim came to 3200 euros. It’s also fairly common for kids to express their artistic talent in ways other than on paper, as many parents know only too well! In one such case, the child in question used a valuable parquet floor as a canvas for drawing on with a permanent marker. The damage amounted to 2600 euros.”

In such situations, the victim is perfectly justified in asking who will pay for the damage.

Gilden says that home insurance which is combined with home content and personal liability insurance offers the best protection against unexpected mischief on the part of children at home or elsewhere – whether it be running into a stranger’s car on their scooter, throwing a rock at a neighbour’s window or getting carried away jumping up and down on a bed.

“Liability depends on the specific circumstances as well,” she added. “In traffic accidents, for instance, the driver of the car often bears part of the responsibility because they pose a greater risk. If a child is injured in such an accident, that’s usually covered by the driver’s car insurance. But if a child causes damage to someone else’s property, the parents have to cover the cost of the repairs themselves if they don’t have liability insurance.”

Since claims are on the rise and the difference in monthly premiums is minimal, Gilden recommends taking out at least 50,000 euros in liability cover.