Reports of nuisance from stone martens have recently come to park management. These rodents like to hide under the still-warm bonnet of a freshly parked car. This seems harmless, however, this marten gnaws through all the cables and hoses there, causing thousands of euros worth of damage. How can you prevent this and are you automatically insured against stone marten damage?
The stone marten is a protected species. Controlling stone martens is prohibited by law. It is therefore not allowed to catch the stone marten, exterminate it or remove its nest. So you will have to chase them away, for example by using ultrasonic animal repellent. Such a device chases away stone martens in an animal-friendly way by emitting a sound frequency that martens find unpleasant.
If stone martens have caused damage to your car, it is important to know whether your insurance will cover it. If you have all-risk insurance, chances are you are covered for stone martens damage. However, this is not always the case, so check the conditions of your policy for this.
Besides using a stone marten repellent, there are other ways to keep these rodents out of your car:
- Stench: Stone martens are afraid of dogs and will stay away if they smell this. Multiple toilet cubes under the bonnet may also keep them at bay;
- Stone martens do not like to walk over chicken wire, put this netting under your car;
- Park the car in a different place: stone martens follow fixed walking routes so a different parking space might help;
- Insurance: check the terms of your policy. If you have limited hull insurance or only third-party insurance, the costs will be at your own expense.
Read more about the problems and solutions related to stone marten on the ANWB website: stone marten in your car
