Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

17 year old spilled water on Host family Laptop

500 replies

Mrsg26 · 01/04/2025 23:46

Wonder if someone can offer advice on what to do in this situation. My daughter is 17 and is auditioning for drama schools at present. As she is under 18 and visiting schools in London ( we live in Scotland) She has had to stay with a host family on her visits. Last night the Host offered my daughter some water but placed the glass on the kitchen table next to her laptop. My daughter picked up the glass but it slipped and some water went on the host’s laptop. The lady told my daughter last night not to worry and she dried it, she said she had a new laptop which was there in the kitchen however today The lady called me whilst my daughter was in her audition and told me it will cost £200 to repair the laptop and the expectation is for me to pay for it to be repaired.

Whilst i totally am sympathetic and sorry for what happened, as is my daughter, she didn't do it intentionally or with any malice and it was a complete accident. Part of me thinks why would she place a glass of water next to expensive equipment, as spillages often happen in kitchens. As an experienced host with lots of children in her home regularly she should be aware of these hazards. This is her business and therefore she should insure against these things.

Whilst I am not against contributing towards the repairs, I just feel that I shouldn’t have to pay for it all as they were both negligent. Any advice from other parents of teens? Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
Mrsg26 · 02/04/2025 13:00

Lolalaboucheridesagain · 02/04/2025 12:50

You should absolutely pay for it. The woman was not negligent to put a glass of water on a table. It was an accident- but still your daughter’s fault. I’m pretty shocked by your attitude tbh.

I have paid for items in the past that were broken as a result of my daughter’s mishaps. She broke a friends tv aged 9 when she and her friend were dancing. It cracked. I paid £500 to replace it. I never said I would not pay on this occasion, I am merely trying to ascertain exactly what happened. My daughter is on her way back from London so I will discuss it with her when i see her tonight.

OP posts:
Pherian · 02/04/2025 13:07

Mrsg26 · 01/04/2025 23:46

Wonder if someone can offer advice on what to do in this situation. My daughter is 17 and is auditioning for drama schools at present. As she is under 18 and visiting schools in London ( we live in Scotland) She has had to stay with a host family on her visits. Last night the Host offered my daughter some water but placed the glass on the kitchen table next to her laptop. My daughter picked up the glass but it slipped and some water went on the host’s laptop. The lady told my daughter last night not to worry and she dried it, she said she had a new laptop which was there in the kitchen however today The lady called me whilst my daughter was in her audition and told me it will cost £200 to repair the laptop and the expectation is for me to pay for it to be repaired.

Whilst i totally am sympathetic and sorry for what happened, as is my daughter, she didn't do it intentionally or with any malice and it was a complete accident. Part of me thinks why would she place a glass of water next to expensive equipment, as spillages often happen in kitchens. As an experienced host with lots of children in her home regularly she should be aware of these hazards. This is her business and therefore she should insure against these things.

Whilst I am not against contributing towards the repairs, I just feel that I shouldn’t have to pay for it all as they were both negligent. Any advice from other parents of teens? Thanks

Agree on the basis you receive the quote and the invoice from the repair shop.

Ive spilled a glass of wine over a laptop and dried it out and it was fine.

FoolishHips · 02/04/2025 13:08

Do you have proof that it will cost £200 to repair the laptop?

MILLYmo0se · 02/04/2025 13:08

Mrsg26 · 02/04/2025 00:08

She placed a glass of water next to her computer on a kitchen table. Spillages happen regularly in kitchens and its easy cleaned up. But if expensive equipment is there then that should have been considered. If the host had spilled water on my daughter’s ipad, I wouldnt expect her to pay as my daughter would know not to have expensive equipment where food and drink are consumed. That is where I feel the Host also has to take some responsibility

Show quote history

I don't believe you'd be happy to foot the entire cost of repair if it were the host accidentally spilling some water on your child's ipad tbh

BunnyLake · 02/04/2025 13:08

Strawberrryfields · 02/04/2025 13:00

Yes it’s annoying but of course you should pay. It’s unreasonable to just pay half, she can’t get half a repair done. She’s also been inconvenienced having to get quotes, take it to the repair shop and then being without a laptop for maybe a few days. She might need it for work etc. She shouldn’t have to pay for your daughter’s mistake.

She’s got a brand new laptop anyway so OP can ascertain exactly what the damage is and what it will cost by getting copies of the quotes etc. You can’t just hand over £200 without knowing the costs for a fact.

BunnyLake · 02/04/2025 13:12

Lolalaboucheridesagain · 02/04/2025 12:50

You should absolutely pay for it. The woman was not negligent to put a glass of water on a table. It was an accident- but still your daughter’s fault. I’m pretty shocked by your attitude tbh.

So you’d just hand the money over? No quote, no looking over the item, no receipt of work done just hand over £200 on the hearsay of someone?

mermaidmuscles · 02/04/2025 13:13

If the host is getting paid then there should be a contract and insurance in place. What did the original contract say about accidental damage? I'd be suspicious that she generally isn't following regulations and not use her again either way.

Also how likely is it that laptop is damaged? Unfortunately i do know that some hosts pull these kind of stunts.

Welshmonster · 02/04/2025 13:14

Different opinion here. The laptop is from 2010. So not exactly brand new. Can you contact the company that have repaired it directly? As £200 for screen replacement on an old piece of kit doesn’t sound right.

The person cut out the agency so any accidents are on their insurance. She is running a business and I wouldn’t be sending my kid to an uninsured home. Does the person have public liability as what would happen if your kid was injured on their property. Do they have a DBS etc.

I work with children in my home and ensure stuff is away and safe.

let them pursue you through the small claims court.

if you have legal cover on your own car or home insurance as you can ask them anything. It’s well worth paying for it at renewal.

BunnyLake · 02/04/2025 13:16

Ask for a quote and mention in passing your brother works with computers.

Garliccheeseandabagel · 02/04/2025 13:17

Lolalaboucheridesagain · 02/04/2025 12:50

You should absolutely pay for it. The woman was not negligent to put a glass of water on a table. It was an accident- but still your daughter’s fault. I’m pretty shocked by your attitude tbh.

The woman is running a business. She should have business insurance, including against accidental damage. If she told the insurance that she was the one who placed the glass of water next to the laptop I'm pretty certain the insurance would refuse to pay out due to her own actions, saying it's negligence.

It doesn't matter what people commonly do in their own homes with their own laptops and drinks. A business insurance would expect the business to carry out risk assessments for just about anything that could happen and do what they can to mitigate risk of damage/harm.

I'm even more certain that if this went to court, the court would take a dim view of her trying to make a fast buck by cutting out the agency and in doing so removing all the safety protocols and access to insurance etc that comes with operating a legitimate business.

I don't believe there's any way the court would make the OP liable for damages to the person who was being paid to look after, and was supposed to be responsible for, her DD.

Especially when this woman was the one who set the glass down next to the open laptop herself.

She was also the one who said "we don't need the agency", the OP didn't seek that. The host changed the rules of engagement, she hasn't explained to OP any negative consequences of that, she hasn't drawn up a contract and had OP sign it or provided her with terms and conditions, she probably isn't registered as self-employed and hasn't declared this income - and she's set this accident up to occur, whether deliberately or not.

There's no have to pay about it. The OP isn't liable unless proved otherwise in a court of law, which I'd say is pretty darned unlikely to happen under these circumstances.

I'm shocked at all the people who think OP should pay.

nomas · 02/04/2025 13:20

I’m betting the screen was damaged already before the spill.

Doolallies · 02/04/2025 13:20

Pay the bill, anything else is outrageous

Alllll · 02/04/2025 13:21

She’s 17, not 7. Why would you be responsible for the actions of a 17 year old?

nomas · 02/04/2025 13:23

Doolallies · 02/04/2025 13:20

Pay the bill, anything else is outrageous

It’s outrageous for this host family to cut out the agency and the protection the agency presumably provides in this scenario.

They tried to make more money and it’s backfired.

They shouldn’t be putting water next to their laptop on a dining table near teens they don’t know well.

Comefromaway · 02/04/2025 13:25

Homestay hosts are responsible for the young people under the age of 18 who stay with them.

MyrtleLion · 02/04/2025 13:26

Mrsg26 · 02/04/2025 12:26

wow thanks for all the messages, I hadn't expected such a large response.

the laptop was a 2010 macbook. She has sent a receipt for a screen replacement but its not a detailed invoice so I will request that from the repair shop. My brother is a computer engineer and he said macbook screens are quite sealed up so its difficult to get water damage in it, it would be more in line with the motherboard needing replaced, which isn't the case here.

I am not saying we wont pay but I want to be absolutely sure the damage was a result of my daughter spilling some water & not some other reason.

A 2010 Macbook is 15 years old and probably not even worth £100.

Most people would bin it.

I agree you need to see an estimate of the repair cost with a detailed analysis of the damage. You can insist that you get it independently assessed and valued. If it's worth less than £200 then offer its value only.

I think she's a CF.

Hollietree · 02/04/2025 13:26

Imagine your daughter had been staying with a host family and took her own laptop, then one of the host family damaged her laptop so that it needed £200 worth of repair ……… honestly consider what would you expect from the host family? And then do the same in your reversed scenario.

Frequency · 02/04/2025 13:26

Welshmonster · 02/04/2025 13:14

Different opinion here. The laptop is from 2010. So not exactly brand new. Can you contact the company that have repaired it directly? As £200 for screen replacement on an old piece of kit doesn’t sound right.

The person cut out the agency so any accidents are on their insurance. She is running a business and I wouldn’t be sending my kid to an uninsured home. Does the person have public liability as what would happen if your kid was injured on their property. Do they have a DBS etc.

I work with children in my home and ensure stuff is away and safe.

let them pursue you through the small claims court.

if you have legal cover on your own car or home insurance as you can ask them anything. It’s well worth paying for it at renewal.

This is a good point. I'd expect a screen replacement on a device that age to be in the region of £100.

Up to £50 for a refurbished screen
£45 for an hour's work
£5 for a replacement bezel because that thing is not coming off in one piece.

Crazyladee · 02/04/2025 13:26

I am a foster carer for young adults living in my home. I have insurance for things like this. Several policies for allsorts of scenarios. It's a compulsory requirement with the organisation I work for. Have you asked about her claiming on her insurance?

Nanny0gg · 02/04/2025 13:28

Mrsg26 · 01/04/2025 23:59

She isn't with her any more. She left this morning & wont be returning.

The first time my daughter stayed here it was arranged through a 3rd party agency, the host said we can cut out the agency so the last 2 times she has stayed she has just arranged directly with the lady and transferred her the money for the stay. However There has been no contract signed to say damages need to be paid for by child or parent. Whilst morally I feel we need to contribute i don’t think
she should pursue us for the full repair bill. Just wanted other opinions before I respond to her.

Show quote history

Absolutely you should pay

Original poster
Mrsg26 · 02/04/2025 13:29

mermaidmuscles · 02/04/2025 13:13

If the host is getting paid then there should be a contract and insurance in place. What did the original contract say about accidental damage? I'd be suspicious that she generally isn't following regulations and not use her again either way.

Also how likely is it that laptop is damaged? Unfortunately i do know that some hosts pull these kind of stunts.

There is no contract in place for these stays. They were both only for 1 night. Last year she stayed for a week organised through the homestay agent. Then when my daughter was there last year the host said come back any time but book directly through me, not the host agency. It is very much a paid for service but I am not sure about the legalities of it, I have never met the lady in question. She was hosting 4 other young foreign exchange students at the same time as my daughter stayed but that was arranged through the agency whereas my daughter’s stay was not. Just as an aside, we didn't save any money cutting out the agency, in fact paying directly to the Host cost more per night than it did via the agency. It seems half of you think I am shady in not coughing up for the full repair bill but something does feel a little off. I will get in touch with the repair shop and see if they can send a detailed invoice

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 02/04/2025 13:32

There absolutely should be a contract whether it is one night or a week which leads me to believe the host is not declaring this properly. At the very least you should have been sent terms & conditions. I assume the previous stay was at a summer school or similar?

nomas · 02/04/2025 13:33

Mrsg26 · 02/04/2025 13:29

There is no contract in place for these stays. They were both only for 1 night. Last year she stayed for a week organised through the homestay agent. Then when my daughter was there last year the host said come back any time but book directly through me, not the host agency. It is very much a paid for service but I am not sure about the legalities of it, I have never met the lady in question. She was hosting 4 other young foreign exchange students at the same time as my daughter stayed but that was arranged through the agency whereas my daughter’s stay was not. Just as an aside, we didn't save any money cutting out the agency, in fact paying directly to the Host cost more per night than it did via the agency. It seems half of you think I am shady in not coughing up for the full repair bill but something does feel a little off. I will get in touch with the repair shop and see if they can send a detailed invoice

Show quote history

Why did you cut out the agency?

largeprintagathachristie · 02/04/2025 13:35

These threads are so interesting.

I think it’s a bit embarrassing that you’d not pay - accidents happen and in this case your daughter caused the accident. Everyone can have hind sight and realise something (the laptop) could have been placed differently or something done differently (where you blame the host, but not your daughter for letting the glass slip) but nobody can go back in time to avoid it. That’s why they’re accidents.

mcmooberry · 02/04/2025 13:35

A 2010 Macbook is worth about 50 pence. Would also be very surprised if a water spill required a new screen. Most times I would be sympathetic to the person who has had their property damaged but in this case if the water definitely caused the damage would agree pay half.