AIBU about neighbour and to have confiscated their bin

[rainbowdash85]

newish neighbours moved in about 7/8 months ago, don't really know them say hello if I pass but don't see them often.

Our bin & recycling day is Friday. Everyone else just puts the bins and tubs out Friday morning but neighbours insist on leaving there empty bins on their drive. Their dive is next to the side wall of our house. The layout goes their house, drive, our house, drive, next house ect.

Sunday night the winds picked up and all their bins blew across the road and I saw the guy next door forcing his bin out from under someone's car across the road and retrieving the rest of them from down the street. For some reason they have 3 black recycling boxes, 2 meat caddy's and a metal small dustbin.

Last night the wind round here was awful, I heard a almighty great bang and noticed something out the side window by my car. It was pitch black so couldn't see very well but gathered up 3 tubs and the dustbin and took them back next door. I stacked them all up inside one another to stop it happening again. But it didn't same thing happened again twice more.

As I was stacking them up the owners returned home and I just said politely I had retrieved them as they had blown all the way round to my drive twice and they were hitting my car twice.

This morning I noticed quite a deep scratch on my bumper about 5/6 inches long, I'm quite pissed off but what can I do? I don't intend to say anything and will just have to suck it up.

Just going to car again now and the metal bin is back and was rolling back and forth into my car.

I've taken the bin and locked it in our bin store.

AIBU to keep it there until the wind dies down for few days or to see if they knock? Fed up with retrieving bins now

[Boutonneux]

Possibly stating the obvious but can't you just politely ask them to put their bins back (in the back garden I assume?) as they're blowing around in the wind and have already damaged your car once?

[honeysucklejasmine]

I don't think you should keep their bin, but I would mention your suspicion that it's caused damage to your car. Along the lines of "look, I know I can't prove it and I don't intend to follow up on it at the moment, but I reckon your bin might have damaged my car last night. Can you please put them somewhere else, just in case?" and hopefully they'll feel guilty enough to do it.

[kgov1]

YANBU. I would of drove over the bin and left it back on their drive! A flat bin would hopefully stay where you left it.

[Pseudo341]

YABU. Talk to your neighbour, explain that you think the bin has damaged your car and politely ask them to keep it contained in future. Confiscating their bin without explaining is childish and likely to kick off some stupid feud that could go on for years. Just go and have a conversation with them.

[Jhm9rhs]

It's not confiscating, because you aren't in a position of authority here.

Just take the bin back, explain the situation and ask them politely to secure it until the winds die down.

You also wouldn't be unreasonable to ask them to pay for your car to be repaired, but in your position I wouldn't either.

[thecatsarecrazy]

I would probably do the same as you. I have a "neighbour" who actually lives 3 doors down who piles their crap on my drive way every 2 weeks. The night before collection, uncovered and I end up with bones behind my car where the cats have got into it. One day I will pile it up on their doorstep.

[OurBlanche]

Knock on their door, show them the damage, give them their bin back. Tell them to keep it in the same way everyone else does.

I wouldn't be so damn British about it, I'd let them know what their lazy ways will cost them - and they can fuck off if they try the 'you can't prove it was my bin' malarkey. You can explain clearly that you found their bin resting against you car, causing the scratch - you took photos to prove it, didn't you? Even if you didn't, you can ask them to pay...

[OurBlanche]

And check your council site... it may have rules and regs about where you can keep bins, that might be of some help!

[yorkshapudding]

They're being inconsiderate and lazy but that doesn't give you the right to steal their bin. I don't know why you don't just knock on their door and say could they please start taking their bins in because you keep having to retrieve them and you suspect they have damaged your car. You've said that you "don't intend to say anything" about the car but, if you want to avoid confrontation, why on earth would you steal their bin? You know they're going to notice it's missing and presumably approach you to get it back so that's more likely to cause drama than a simple conversation would have. It sounds like you're trying to wind them up to be honest.

[PurpleGreenAvocado]

You can't ask them to pay for your car to be repaired, you don't know that it is their bin that caused the damage. We keep our bins on our drive, there is nowhere else to keep them that is practical so we have put two paving slabs in the bottom when it's windy.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

You can't confiscate their bins! You have no right to. How ridiculous.

[rainbowdash85]

They don't get in until about 9 at night . I'm quite poorly and intended pjs on and a early night and TBH couldn't be assed to keep getting up and going out to get them all night again. I will pop round with it in the morning and explain why I took it.

I've looked at our covenants and it does say we are not allowed bins to be visable on non collection days

[Crazypetlady]

Sorry i laughed it's not right your car got damaged but I can't help sniggering at you confiscating their bins.

[Collaborate]

You're not confiscating their bin. You're taking prompt action to prevent any further costly damage to your car.

It is perhaps not unreasonable for them to have realised, having collected their bins from down the street, that they might damage someone's property. That they failed to take action to secure their bins means they were negligent, and should pay for your car to be repaired.

I would tell them you're going to get an estimate. It might be having to pay to respray your bumper (or at least touch it up professionally) that causes them to be more considerate and secure their bins in a safe place.

[diddl]

When they come knocking, tell them thait must have blown away...