Say your kid broke a window. . .

[azgal81]

If your kid broke the window I say you are responsible to at least pay for half of the cost of the window to be replaced.

I don't think the supervision is really an issue here a 13 year old knows not to hit a ball into a window. Accident or no accident someone needs to pay for the window to get fixed and I don't think it should just be the homeowner.

 

[barkley]

it varies state to state weather a parent is responsible for damage a child does. it can vary depending on the age of the child and weather it was willfull (with intent) or accidental damage. thats why some people file in small claims against both the parent and separatly against the child (yup-in some states 'little johnny age 8' can be found liable, have a judgement entered against him-and when he goes to work at mcdonalds some day face a lein on his earnings ).

if the homeowner is intent on collecting she should check her states statutes to avoid wasting time or money filing a small claims case. she can also call 'judge judy' and request they consider hearing the claim there-if the other parent agrees the show pays for the judgement if any is awarded and gives a small travel stipend. i had a co-worker who had filed in small claims and apparantly the judge judy staff looks at public records-they contacted her to see if she was willing to go on the show. she would have loved to (cut and dry case she would have won in a heartbeat)-but the defendant declined-did'nt want to be held up to 'televised humiliation'

if it were my kid-i'de talk to the homeowner and get a couple of bids for the actual repair work (no upgrades)-then i'de pay. ultimatly-my kid, my responsibility. the homeowner may have initialy quoted the $1000 cuz thats what her deductable is. we went with one that high cuz it saved us over 50% on premiums and we figured anything less than $1000 we were'nt going to submit and risk our policy standing.

 

[FreshTressa]

I think it should be split between the homeowner and the childs family. There was more than one kid playing golf.

If it was my kid, I'd pay it, but I'd want proof that it cost that much before forking over that much cash!

 

[bgirldeb]

If it were my child I would pay, but only after seeing several estimates from reputable glass repair companies.

My guess is that it won't be as much as an 1000.00 homeowners insurance deductible! Maybe that's why the mom flat-out refused in the first place.

 

[shortbun]

If my child broke a window through negligence at age 13, he would be paying for the window. He'd be working it off. That said, the homeowner chose a $1000 deductible because that's what THEY judged THEMSELVES ready to pay incase of damage. I doubt the window will cost $1000 but with such a high deductible, the homeowner should be prepared to shoulder SOME of the burden IF the window costs that much for some reason. I'm sure once the repair estimates come in, all of this will be moot as the cost will be much less. I live in a home with very old glass windows, rare sizes and old fashioned glazing. We've replaced a couple. $200 was our highest bill so far.

 

[sweet angel]

The parents of the child that had the "accident" should pay AT LEAST half. If the same kid, at 17, has an "accident" in a car that is his fault, will they still refuse to pay because it was an "accident"?

I agree, 13YOs should not have to be watched like hawks.

And the OP said it was a round window...that could be why it would be more expensive to fix -- hard to cut.

 

[crazyme5kids]

If it were my child that broke the window I would offer to pay for a new pane of glass.

If I was the homeowner whose window got broken I would tell the other parent not to worry about it. I would pay to replace the pane of glass. Accidents happen. Kids do stupid things, I'm sure it wasn't intentional.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I still don't understand how the window would cost $1,000.00. Maybe that's the home owner's deductible. She doesn't have to file a claim. I think the kid that broke the window should pay for it. The parents should get a couple of estimates.

 

[sweet angel]

I still don't understand how the window would cost $1,000.00. Maybe that's the home owner's deductible. She doesn't have to file a claim. I think the kid that broke the window should pay for it. The parents should get a couple of estimates.

I can't imagine it being $1000 either unless it's a large window. However, in cutting glass, odd shapes are more expensive than standard square or rectangle shapes because they are more difficult to cut and polish and there is much more waste. Glass isn't cheap anymore.

 

[my3kids]

I think the child's family should call their insurance agent. The responsible party's insurance will likely cover the accident. Even if they find out their own policy won't cover it the insurance agent can give information on what they need to do.

I would think the parents of the child would have the right to get their own estimates. If the family gets a couple that say the cost is $250 or 100 or 300, but the owner is still holding fast to $1000, then that is likely where things get ugly.

I would pay for the window if it were my child. It hasn't actually happened but it very likely will with the way the kids play ball around here.

 

[Southern4sure]

I can't imagine it being $1000 either unless it's a large window. However, in cutting glass, odd shapes are more expensive than standard square or rectangle shapes because they are more difficult to cut and polish and there is much more waste. Glass isn't cheap anymore.

The window could have been biveled which makes it more expensive to replace.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

When a neighbor kid broke my window I had to replace the whole window because he hit it with such force that it didn't just break the window, it broke the window frame.

The parents argued with me about paying for the frame, even though they could well afford it, and I saw the kid smirk at me as the mom was writing me a check "for the glass only" (because I could certainly live with the broken frame or fix it myself if it was that important to me) Yes, I guess that taught him.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would think the kid that hit the balls parents would pay for the window.,...but I would sure get my own estimates from different companies if it was me paying that kind of money out!

 

[Pin Wizard]

It was HER kid who had the accident. Why should the other people have to pay for her kid's accident? If she's claiming they should have been supervised-that's one thing. But if her claim is it was an accident-she needs to cough up the dough.

As one who lives on a golf course, I have met people outside my home with their golf ball in my hand when they've broken two windows of mine. You better believe THEY paid for a replacement.


If it's a kid, the parents better be ready to cough it up.

 

[DaisyD]

If it were my kid that actually broke the window then of course we would pay. Accident or not, it was still my kid and my responsibility. I would want to see proof of the cost but $1000 isn't out of line. We have an eyebrow arch over our french doors that cost $2500. It isn't even that big.

 

[Allison]

The child who broke the window should pay for it.

I also think if the cost if more than the owner's deductible on their homeowners insurance and they would choose not to file a claim, the family of the child who broke the window should only have to pay up to the deductible amount.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Since the child is 13yo, I wouldn't expect the boys to be watched every second and would expect that they are old enough to use good judgement (and yes, I have a boy this age and I know that this is sometimes lacking, but it does come with experience and this is an experience ). I would expect the boy's parents to pay and they can decide if they want their son to work it off with them (as my son would likely be doing, for at least part of the money). I would get a few estimates and as the parent, I would want to see the estimates.

If they were little (ie, 5-6yo), I would expect supervision when they were playing, in which case I would do a 50/50 split of the damage. The most likely situation is that it wouldn't have happened since they would have been supervised and the behavior would have been stopped before any damage occurred. Of course other damage can occur.

One time we had a tail light busted--was the exact size of a baseball... My son and his friend never admitted to the damage--they used to always play catch near the van--and it could be that the ball bounced and they didn't even know that it broke (I doubt, but who knows), but we paid it without making any stink. Accidents happen and we took partial responsibility for not making sure they were not playing so close to the van (not that there's a lot of options on our cul-de-sac).

 

[mickeyfan2]

We broke windows (a few) in a neighbor's home that was behind my grandmother's house. Our parents were in the grandmother's house. The parents of all the kids playing paid to replace the window. Yes we knew who actually broke it, but we were all playing.

 

[Topper]

I would offer to pay it, but I'd want an estimate first.

How sweet of you to offer!

 

[Blondy876]

My kid, my responsibility. I'm not sure why it's even a question. Maybe the grandparents weren't watching as close as they should have but these kids are 13. They should have known better.

Now, mind you, my 13 year old would be working for me to pay me back. It wasn't my fault it broke it was the childs so said child would be doing a lot of chores to repay me for it.