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Original poster

Should I claim off neighbour's insurance after a fire?

130 replies

FireAdvice · 22/05/2025 20:13

My neighbour has "accidentally" set my massive conifer hedge on fire today - lost the garden office, two sheds, lots of bikes, loads of stuff, etc. Obviously the main thing is we are OK.

I have rung my insurance and they have said that I have to pay a £350 excess and they will cover other stuff. A friend has said I should claim on the neighbours insurance as then I won't be liable for an excess and also my insurance won't go up next year - how do I do that? Do I just ask the neighbour for their insurance details?

Have also lost about 30ft length of 9ft high conifer hedge - all the back boundary and half of the side boundary. But there is another 20ft of conifer hedge nearer the house still intact. My insurance have told me to get a quote for stump removal and fence instillation - can I ask for all the length of the hedge including the non damaged hedge to be removed and fenced the full length - it will look stupid having half fence and half hedge?

OP posts:
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7
JohnofWessex · 26/05/2025 14:08

OP

Any updates?

TizerorFizz · 23/05/2025 22:52

You claim on your insurance. You don’t even know if he’s insured? Your insurance company will get the money back from his insurance if he has it. You cannot claim on something you haven’t paid for. It’s not your insurance if it’s your neighbours.

LetYouEntertainMe · 23/05/2025 21:47

I accept it could possibly have been an accident.

Hmm. If you were a judge what would you think? I'd be: I can't say for sure and accept it possibly could be an accident but if this was phone a friend and how sure are you it was deliberate, I would say 96%

Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 21:29

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 23/05/2025 20:44

Have you posted this on your TikTok page? As you’ve posted there that your neighbour set fire to it as he hated your hedge?

Same photos?

Edited

But actually on TikTok i believe I’ve said he hates the hedge and that he’s set fire to it but not that he set it on fire because he hates it.

I do believe he’s responsible for the cause and I do believe he doesn’t like the hedge. I accept it could possibly have been an accident.

OP posts:
Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 21:27

Ultimately though I guess what he’s said in the past is no proof/evidence he’s done anything malicious with intent. I can have suspicions but they won’t get me anywhere.

he was working on his car maybe 12 ft from the hedge Seems a long distance for anything hit to accidentally get to the hedge. But then he said something about throwing a hot piece of metal into the hedge as it caught him by surprise. Then he denied that to someone else. The fire fighter said a hot piece of metal wouldn’t ignite a hedge anyway, that there had to be a flame.

so was there a spark? Who knows. He said he was welding, then he said he wasn’t. He does do welding and the car was jacked up 🤷🏻‍♀️

but if he wasn’t welding as he’s currently insisting then how else was a flame introduced to the hedge?

OP posts:
Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 21:18

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 23/05/2025 20:44

Have you posted this on your TikTok page? As you’ve posted there that your neighbour set fire to it as he hated your hedge?

Same photos?

Edited

Yes that’ll be me. He came round here about 18 months ago ranting at dd that she had to tell me I had till 5pm to decide whether I was going to trim their side hedge or not (on his side) and if I didn’t he was going to do it and send me the f’ing bill. Think I had a thread about that at the time 😁. We ignored him and he never came back.

his mother has also come round about ten years ago complaining she could see a plant pot under the hedge and she didn’t like seeing it so could I move it. Which I did. So not technically moaning about the hedge but certainly giving the impression of someone who’d maybe rather have a fence?

before her son moved in she asked us a few times to cut her side of the hedge which Dh did. She said she couldn’t do it.

OP posts:
HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 23/05/2025 20:44

Have you posted this on your TikTok page? As you’ve posted there that your neighbour set fire to it as he hated your hedge?

Same photos?

MissHollysDolly · 23/05/2025 20:17

A similar thing happened to us, you can absolutely claim on their insurance. It should cover the cost of stump removal and gulp replacement of like for like trees and shrubs.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 23/05/2025 20:13

FireAdvice · 22/05/2025 23:06

His mother has been round to my next door neighbour to apologise to them - their fence and summer house was burnt as well. She's told them she thinks I'm a real cow! She's not been here to say sorry. 😁

Take her to court then!

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 23/05/2025 20:12

FireAdvice · 22/05/2025 20:34

I doubt they will. He’s not a nice person to put it mildly. He’s previously threatened to burn another neighbour out. He’s always having out of control bonfires and chucking petrol over them. I’m forever calling the fire brigade. Have lost about 30k worth of stuff

Show quote history

Why have you not taken him to court?

grumpygrape · 23/05/2025 20:09

FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 17:20

I am washing and washing smoke damaged clothes and blankets from the garden office and just don't seem to be able to get the smell out.

OP, I know it's a different smell but when we needed to get Tom cat pee smell out of a duvet we were advised to add some bleach to the wash. Worked a treat.
Hope your insurance company comes through for you.

LetYouEntertainMe · 23/05/2025 19:25

FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 19:12

@LetYouEntertainMe thanks. I think next week I need to ring the legal helpline and ask about pushing for my insurance company to chase his insurance company at some point. I definitely want to deal with mine though. If they ultimately can’t or don’t and I lose my excess and have higher premiums it might be worth it for a relatively smooth sorting out of everything

Yes - this is what happens normally. It's easier to understand if you think of it in terms of car insurance - it's exactly the same. The principle is called subrogation and it means the insurer stands in the shoes of the insured.

If Jill is in a car crash with Jack, if it's Jack's fault, Jack will have to pay for the damage to Jill's car and any other damage like her designer sunglasses got smashed.

In a pre-insurance world, what would happen is Jill sues Jack, at the court hearing Jack says its all Jill's fault, a Judge rules either it's all Jack's fault or it's Jill's fault or they are both a bit to blame. Assume like I said it's all Jack's fault, the Judge rules that and Jack has to pay.

If (as with cars) there is insurance what happens is that Jill's insurer is entiled to take over Jill's claim and Jack's Insurer is entitled to take over Jack's claim. Of course because insurers never want to pay out anything, it is inevitable that they will start arguing that it's the other ones fault. If a court hearing is required, although Jill is the claimant and Jack is the defendant on paper, in reality its the insurers for each standing in their stead and running the case.

The same will be true in your situation. If your insurer knows that it is the neighbours fault, like Jill's insurers, they won't want to pay out. They will say it is the neighbour's insurers who have to pay out.

RandomMess · 23/05/2025 19:23

Hopefully Omlet may be able to provide you with evidence for your eglu?

Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 19:13

Lovemycat2023 · 23/05/2025 18:45

Maybe try airing in the sunshine for an extended period, might be better

Show quote history

I’ve got stuff on the line now so fingers crossed

OP posts:
Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 19:12

@LetYouEntertainMe thanks. I think next week I need to ring the legal helpline and ask about pushing for my insurance company to chase his insurance company at some point. I definitely want to deal with mine though. If they ultimately can’t or don’t and I lose my excess and have higher premiums it might be worth it for a relatively smooth sorting out of everything

OP posts:
Lovemycat2023 · 23/05/2025 18:45

FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 17:20

I am washing and washing smoke damaged clothes and blankets from the garden office and just don't seem to be able to get the smell out.

Maybe try airing in the sunshine for an extended period, might be better

LetYouEntertainMe · 23/05/2025 18:42

If he set fire to your hedge he has to pay.

This is how it works

It's your property. He's damaged it. You can sue him for his negligent damage.

His insurer basically stands in his shoes as him - so if he's insured and the damage is covered (it may not be say if he started it deliberately and arson is excluded), the insurers have to cover his losses and pay you.

If the damage is not covered, he has to pay.

There may be some practical issues. So if he has no insurance and no money, you may think it's better to claim on your insurance to repair the damage rather than sue him where he has no money but broadly speaking he or his insurer should be paying not you if he did the damage.

Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 17:20

I am washing and washing smoke damaged clothes and blankets from the garden office and just don't seem to be able to get the smell out.

OP posts:
Lovemycat2023 · 23/05/2025 16:29

FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 16:09

Garden is 100ft long and they’re at the back of us thankfully. Aviary was empty

That’s much less worrying in the long term then, but still awful. Good luck with insurance. If the insurers can claim off others they will do, after paying out to you. This might either be if the neighbour is insured or claiming against them personally. Obviously they can only do this if there would be liability anyway (they are effectively standing in your shoes to do so - it’s called subrogation). Worth asking about this.

Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 16:18

Yes will definitely get a camera. I don’t think the insurance will pay for a wall sadly

OP posts:
WhatsitWiggle · 23/05/2025 16:15

My gosh, that's absolutely awful. I'd want something more solid than a hedge or fence between the neighbour and me, can you get a wall built?

And get a camera added to the outside of your new home office. Obviously not allowed to film into neighbours garden, but to capture anything dodge going on in yours.

Original poster
FireAdvice · 23/05/2025 16:09

Garden is 100ft long and they’re at the back of us thankfully. Aviary was empty

OP posts:
Hollyhobbi · 23/05/2025 16:08

I had something similar happen but had to claim off my own insurance. Apartment bin shed near my house deliberately set on fire. Caused nearly €11k worth of damage to our house.

Lovemycat2023 · 23/05/2025 16:05

This is just awful. And given what you’ve said about his fire previously OP are you worried about the house and your safety? I can’t quite work out where your house is on the photos but I hope it’s far away.

I would suggest you go and see a lawyer about this for advice on recovering any costs and also how to protect yourself in future. You mentioned an aviary too - are the birds ok? I’m just horrified at this.

cornishatheart · 23/05/2025 15:43

I'm in awe at the calm way you're dealing with this. I would be beyond angry that he hadn't come round abjectly apologising and begging your forgiveness.