Liability for young children in Switzerland

My boys (4 and 5) walk to kindergarten and back on their own and sometimes stop and play along the way. I always drove them to playgroup before we move to Switzerland but the school here pushes letting your kids walk to school on their own. My boys are both pretty adventurous so my question is, if the boys were to dent a parked car or mess up someone's garden along the way, would I be responsible?

Hi there,

Parents are responsible to supervise their children within reasonable limits. However, these limits do not extend to accompanying children everywhere they go. When damages occur depsite parents' best efforts to fulfill their due dilligence obligations, liability for damages rests with the child.

Children which are capable of good judgement (normally 9 years old and older) may be required to pay at least part of the cost of damages themselves. But very young children are not considered to be capable of good judgement cannot normally be held liable for damages which they inflict.

Some personal liability insurance policies cover damages caused by young children. If you have personal liability insurance, check the terms and conditions of your policy to find out whether it covers these damages.

In any case, liability does not rest with you as long as you meet your obligation to supervise your children within reasonable limits. If your insurance does not cover damages, the owners of the damaged property will have to take the loss.

Best regards from Moneyguru

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