Bouncy Castle Insurance

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Mocame

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Hi all, my nephew is making his communion soon and really, really, really wants to hire a bouncy castle as part of the celebrations. However all of the hire companies now seem to specify on their website that they can't offer public liability insurance. Can anyone advise whether a domestic policy would cover a bouncy castle erected in the garden? My sister in law is planning to invite some cousins and neighbours' kids over on the say for some bouncing but is obviously concerned about being liable in the case of an accident.
 
Bouncy castle owners should have public liability insurance, but only to cover their negligence. In my experience, there is never a problem with the device itself, but with the supervision, which is the hirers problem. Accidents happen when there are either too many children, unsupervised children or drunken adults joining in the fun! Why should the owner of the device be responsible for them?

Check with your house insurers. Some will charge a small extra premium. You still need to be careful through as a claim against you will mean your NCB on the house insurance will be affected.
 
There has been at least one public liability type claim before the English High Court in recent years arising from a bouncy castle injury.
It was a serious personal injury case arising from a short lack of supervision of the children using the castle.
The plaintiff won on the grounds of negligence.

Generally, I fear the news that little Johnny or Mary is having a bouncy castle at their party. I pray quietly for thunderous rain as I know that will leave children safer. However, that is just risk-averse little me :rolleyes:.

A few thoughts ;
  1. Some household insurance policies may specifically exclude liability arising from use of a bouncy castle.
  2. If so, ask the insurers if they will provide specific cover for the day in question.
  3. Who is indemnified under the policy ?
  4. The household policy will indemnify the policyholder(s) as defined in the contract.
  5. Household insurance policies usually exclude liability incurred under the terms of a contract unless the liability would have existed anyhow regardless and independent of the contractually incurred responsibility.
  6. Some of the contracts offered by companies hiring out bouncy castles require you, the party hiring in the castle, to provide them with a contractual indemnity arising out of the use of the castle. Even if a household policy covers - or does not exclude - bouncy castles the contractually incurred liability may be specifically excluded.
  7. Any public liability insurance held by the bouncy castle company will cover their legal interests but not the householder's liability.
  8. So what, if I don't have insurance cover ? Will I take a chance anyhow ? If there has been negligence and an unfortunately bad injury results you still have the legal liability. The fact that you may have no insurance cover does not avoid your legal liability. A judgment against you can end up being charged against the title of your house - no thanks !!
 
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Get the bouncy castle, and your guests to sign a waiver. Otherwise, forget about it, and the guests :cool:
 
sharkattack said:
A sad state of affairs that this is even been discussed
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So many people see it as a "guaranteed win" slot machine if their little Johnny scratches his knee on one.

Hence premiums are huge for such things.

Look how many children's play centres have simply not reopened and are being repurposed to offices and warehousing
 
peemac said:
So many people see it as a "guaranteed win" slot machine if their little Johnny scratches his knee on one.

Hence premiums are huge for such things.

Look how many children's play centres have simply not reopened and are being repurposed to offices and warehousing
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Really? 'So many people'? Have there been loads of cases in the courts for knee scratches?

Weren't those play centres repurposed from offices and warehousing in the first place?
 
RetirementPlan said:
Weren't those play centres repurposed from offices and warehousing in the first place?
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Some might have been but different planning is required for these, so it's not a simple matter of using an empty warehouse.

The main issue is the Irish insurers stepped back from this market leaving one UK company covering most of the industry but they left the Irish market stating that the level of awards here made the business unsustainable.
 
Maybe cancel the bouncy castle and instead get a financial expert or lawyer in to give the kids a lecture on public liability insurance and the litigious nature of Irish society? It'll be educational for them and the party will be the talk of your town for years to come...
 
Leo said:
Some might have been but different planning is required for these, so it's not a simple matter of using an empty warehouse.

The main issue is the Irish insurers stepped back from this market leaving one UK company covering most of the industry but they left the Irish market stating that the level of awards here made the business unsustainable.
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Fully agree, though that's a little different from the claim of people queuing up to win lottery sized claims for a kid with a scratched knee.
 
RetirementPlan said:
Fully agree, though that's a little different from the claim of people queuing up to win lottery sized claims for a kid with a scratched knee.
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It is, but no one mentioned lottery sized wins, slot machines pay out a lot less.
 
A chap I worked with...
Got onto a hired bouncy castle, after a litre of wine.
Bounced out , landed on his shoulder. Told me he has to get surgery, rotational tendon snapped.
 
Hi everyone, I booked bouncy castles on several occasions when my kids were young and the I can never remember a single occasion on which their websites specified that they can't provide insurance. So when my sister-in-law mentioned that she had come across this issue it immediately got me worried, hence the post here.

I personally feel that constant litigation and claims are ruining the country. An elderly relatively recently had someone injured when trimming back trees on her land. She had employed an insured company, luckily, but was worried sick about the potential for a claim. What kind of country are we living in where elderly people have to worry about people suing them and kids can't have some fun playing during a family celebration?
 
Mocame said:
Hi everyone, I booked bouncy castles on several occasions when my kids were young and the I can never remember a single occasion on which their websites specified that they can't provide insurance. So when my sister-in-law mentioned that she had come across this issue it immediately got me worried, hence the post here.
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A Slovenian insurer that was providing cover for a time after the UK company pulled out also pulled out of the Irish market last year, so this is a new problem.
 
noproblem said:
Get the bouncy castle, and your guests to sign a waiver. Otherwise, forget about it, and the guests :cool:
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The bouncy castle providers will definitely protect themselves by not agreeing to that.

You will probably find that you cannot "contract out" of your liability for personal injuries to a guest by using a waiver.
IMHO a guest would be mad to sign up to such a waiver as you do not know what might happen i.e. a true act of negligence causing injury.
 
Bouncy castle providers can't get insurance anywhere, no one will sign a waiver so unless you are covered via your house insurance, run a mile from having one of these.
 
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