Sheet pan dinners are amazing for easy meals that hit all the balanced meal requirements. 
I have a glass top stove and thats one of the 1st thing i say to someone who uses it. What can and can’t be put on it. Or how to clean it.
and if it broke @Jackievw while you weren’t in the home, would you expect the person staying to pay for it to be fixed or replaced?
I would contact HO i would think their home owners insurance would cover that. Sorry this happened to you.
I’m asking you what you would do if it was yours that broke?
I would call my insurance company because i feel its an accident.
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Wasn’t thinking lawsuit. But definitely talk with THS and try and get some money out of the sitter. AND if the sitter doesn’t reimburse any of the cost, more than likely write it in the review.
Correct. This is what home insurance if for. But if the HO is out a deductible…we would offer to pay it. It was the sitters fault. You think they shouldn’t have to pay for anything?
What if you accidentally drop a vase, or something around the house? Sitter shouldn’t have to compensate at all?
If we break something, we do our 100% effort to replace, fix or offer money compensation. Yes, accidents happen…but sitters should own up to it.
How would you feel as the HO?
When that happens to a guest at my place, I am not going to try to get money from them. I don’t need the vase, it does not affect my life in any way.
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@Couple_travels_fulltime
It would be interesting to hear what THS say as I’m not sure they could force any party to pay for damages.
I’m not saying its right or wrong, just don’t think anything is enforceable?
The liability regulations for damages can vary between countries, so whether or not one would be legally required to pay damages can also vary. But «liability» and «fault» are two different things (as is «responsibility»).
In my country you would only be liable - required to pay damages - if it was your «fault» in the meaning that your action caused it because you were reckless and not that it would happen anyway or be a freak accident. You would normally not be liable for a freak accident, only if you were reckless (or did it on purpose). I’m sure that the laws that apply in our country also would have an impact on whether or not we think that someone is liable.
But I wouldn’t necessarily want or ask a friend, a guest or a sitter to pay for something even though I would have legal backing for it. Some things for me are just that - a thing - that is unimportant in the bigger picture. But if the circumstances for instance that something important was damaged and the owner didn’t have the money to replace it it would of course be different. But in such a case I might well have wanted to help them out even if it wasn’t me who caused it (or happened to be there when it broke. 
)
Can’t imagine that it would be a great idea to pay for a lawsuit for a stove top. Surely the lawyer would cost more ??
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I was thinking more of your needs! 
@meggoose says she has spoken to the home owner who was cool about it. Shall we all just wait to see what is agreed between them?
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That’s a bit harsh!
Not if the HOs provided faulty equipment, which is what it sounds like happened in this case. In which case the sitter should have 0 liability.
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A guest in my home would not be made to pay for accidental damages.
Things have broken in my absence before and I’ve never asked sitters to pay. It’s the risk you take leaving your home to someone. I do pack down my place somewhat before sitters arrive, precious items are not waiting for accidents. I also have comprehensive insurance - should something large or structural be damaged, it’s covered.
As a sitter, I’ve mentioned these two stories before in previous threads, I have broken two things, one was a lawn mower in Ireland and one was an electric cable a ran over with a lawn mower in Scotland. The cable I replaced BUT when I told the owner they said I shouldn’t have paid and they offered to reimburse me the money. The lawn mower I was never willing to pay for, it was a new fanglangled thing that would have been expensive and broke in the duty of maintaining the hosts property. Owner was able to fix it himself upon return and wouldn’t have expected me to pay for it if he couldn’t fix it.
Open communication is very important between sitter and host if some accident happens but the way you’re automatically blaming a sitter and saying you 100% of the time pay, fix or replace all the things you break is to me ridiculous. A stovetop is not in the scope of a sitter to replace or repair. Thats the subject here. If the owner has pots in the house and a sitter uses those pots, it’s at NO FAULT of their own.
If we start charging sitters for accidents hosts will find less and less people to choose from. It’s the risk you take as a host.
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I always ask HOs to put away or point out anything that would be irreplaceable if it was damaged. I’m always careful, but accidents are just that. And I don’t want to accidentally break great great grand nan’s favorite serving platter that she brought over from the old country when I can just as easily use the ikea $3 special for the same purpose.
3000-5000 to replace ??? How? was it gold plated? An induction plate costs between €300-€1000 ( but €1000 is extremely top of the high end market just for an induction stove top.
Have you informed the HO I would say if it’s one of their pans the blame is partially/wholly on their side. Not having suitable pans should not be your problem. So keep in touch with home owners but also TH help centre and hopefully you can reach some sort of good arrangement.
Do you have travel insurance that could possible cover damage caused by you or do you have personal insurance for damages caused. BUT once again A FAULTY PAN IS SOMETHING THE HO SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF and if the sitter is not used to induction will not always know about pans needing good connection.
In the U.S., if you just google something like “best induction cooktop” in the shopping category, you’ll see a number of expensive induction cooktops in the range or higher of what OP mentioned. They even sell them at Home Depot and other chains, so they’re commonly available, though of course not everyone buys them.
Some people are really into cooking and are willing to spend. And some folks simply have more money than others. Among people who are into food, there are some who will spend on a range or stove more than what some people spend on cars. It’s a thing and long has been, even before induction cooktops emerged.
@meggoose you said a few days ago that you’d spoken to the home owner & she was cool about the damage caused. Have you come to an agreement yet as to what to do about it? Has she got accidental cover on her insurance policy?
I’m sure we’d all like to know so that it can put an end to this 