How much to pay neighbour for theft

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We live in London in a converted building where there are several flats. We had some guests over to the communal garden, and during the visit one of our guests must not have secured the side gate properly (for a max of 30/45min). Our neighbour later said their bike, which they had secured with a bike chain, got stolen (they told us thief cut through chain with bolt cutters).
We were very apologetic to our neighbour, and asked if we could contribute towards the bike. Our neighbour has sent us an invoice for the bike purchase of £525 from 2017 and their bank account. They asked us to send them £550 to buy the current model.
We feel terrible their bike got stolen. We want to be a good and considerate neighbour, and want to contribute financially towards the bike. But TBH I was shocked by the amount they are asking for. We were not expecting to buy them a brand new bike. It's not like we stole the bike ourselves. We are not familiar with the bike involved, nor seen a police report for the theft.
We have not even bought brand new bikes for ourselves or our kids ever, always purchasing our family bikes (and even our children's buggies) 2nd hand. We also don't have the budget to pay them £550.
Our neighbour is evidently extremely wealthy with multiple kids in private schools (we are an ordinary family with kids in free state schools). Possibly they might not understand £550 is a huge amount to a normal family.
How much is fair and reasonable to pay towards the neighbours stolen bike?
a) £550
b) £275 - half the price of another brand new bike
c) £250 - full cost of a 2nd hand bike (eg buy same model on ebay/gumtree)
d) £125 - half the price of another 2nd hand bike
e) see if they can claim it under their home and contents insurance, and we contribute towards the excess. The bike was chained right outside their front door. Although I suspect they probably didn't report the theft to the police
f) £100 - goodwill gesture
Any other idea's or suggestions appreciated. Would like to try to resolve it so we all feel comfortable and happy.
PS The Freehold building insurance doesn't cover personal property

So for all you know they could have sold the bike months ago and be taking a chance. I would ask for the crime reference number first and contact police station to confirm the reference is genuine. After that I may give a contribution but it would not be a lot as ultimately they should have better security on it if its that valuable. My kids bikes go in the cupboard under the stairs so I know their safe. Partner kept his old one in his flat rather than communal hallway. They were responsible not you and who's to say it was one of your guests that left it open not someone else that came in or went out.

Hi neighbour, I've just taken advice from my own insurance number, as the cost of the bicycle was more than I had anticipated. I've been advised to see a copy of the crime reference number and also your own insurance details, as that's what insurance is for after all. Hope that's ok?

I bet you won't hear another word from them

Came back for an update, re-read your original post, OP.

You stated you want it resolved so everyone's happy - I'm sure your neighbour will be ecstatic to get any money from you let alone the cost of a new bike!

Before you pay a penny (after having the crime report etc.) ask yourself if they're going out of their way to make YOU feel comfortable and happy.

Keeping good relations with neighbours is a two-way street. Even if there was a genuine theft at that very small window of opportunity, it is NOT your fault.

If a thief has stolen that bike police and insurance should be involved not you. Accidents like gates being left open happen. Again, not your fault.

You sound lovely, OP. I'm sorry you're stuck with a neighbour willing to take fulladvantage of your good nature. You know in your heart you're not 'happy or comfortable' with being asked to pay for a brand new bike. They're unfair, you tried to be fair. They had their chance but blew it being greedy.

Don't pay and be comfortable knowing you ARE doing the right thing.

OP, you don't even know if one of your guests left the gate open. It could have been anyone else entitled to use the communal garden, or the thief could simply have climbed over. Apart from general neighbourly sympathy, there's no need for you to feel bad about it.

Yabu you had guests round.
Your guests left the gate open.
Why should they be down a bike.
How wealthy or how they live their life is none of your business, if you can't afford to replace people's stuff make sure your guests are more responsible.
Why should they put it on their insurance and end up getting higher premiums every year for the next 10? And no I doubt they've made a police report as this would also need to inform the insurance company of incurring higher renewal costs.
So if someone less well off than you spoils something of yours because of their own stupidity they don't have to pay because they earn less than you? What a joke. Pay for a new bike and take on board that it's not just your property and be more respectful in future.

I wouldn't have offered. They left a gate open, they didn't steal the bike! That's what insurance is for.

I don’t see why they should be down a bike because your guest left a gate open. I’d expect you to replace it if I were them. I would only expect like for like though. I also don’t see what the relevance of them being well off is.

You're living in London where side gates can be secured with umpteen locks but bikes and other items left outside houses/flats and in communal gardens still get stolen.

You don't know if the side gate was left open by your guest(s) or if another resident left it open and, similarly, you don't know the time of the alleged theft or if it could have been prevented by a secured gate.

Your neighbours should be claiming on their household insurance and you should make it clear to them that, when offering your 'goodwill gesture', you had it in mind to buy them a more secure chain that could not be cut with bolt cutters.

Anything else is cheeky fuckery on their part.

Please don't give your neighbours any money towards a replacement bike as this could be construed as an admission of responsibility for the alleged theft and they may come after you for more.

How many residents and how many flats have access to this gate? For all you know another neighbour left the gate open. Or even the neighbour himself. You have no responsibility for items of value left in a shared space. The neighbour did so at his own risk knowing that potentially someone could make an error, just like he, himself could also.

As for your friends leaving the gate open, you are assuming. Don’t. You are part way to assuming guilt and as DonKey said, if you’re not careful, you’ll have legally assumed responsibility.

GreatBigNoise. Actually, they are down a bike because a thieving scum bag came along with bolt cutters and stole it, not because the OP's guest may (or may not,) have left the gate unlocked.
One could also argue that the onus was on the neighbour to put notices up on the gate to remind the (possibly many) users to make sure it was properly closed. How were they to know that someone else was keeping a valuable item in view of thieves.
And as others have said, this was likely a targeted theft, in which case the gate is neither here nor there.

Hijenny35,

The OP didn't steal the bike.

@HiJenny35 are you the ops neighbour?

The bike will be insured. Definitely. Tell them they will have to go through their insurance as normal- so police report and claim. Then you will have to (or should offer in my opinion) the excess on the claim. Mine is £50. A nuisance but manageable hence my being insured.

A wealthy family with children in private schools and an expensive bike will absolutely, one hundred percent, be insured! I think you can have a conversation or write them a note that would be very polite and keep friendly but go with what I and others, are suggesting. It’s not complicated for them to claim. And of course you will tell them you will always make sure that your guests maintain the security of the property in future. You could give them a bunch of flowers when you pay the excess part of the claim for them.

Your guests left the gate open.

No one actually knows this.

Our insurance excess is £1,000 so word anything carefully.

I also don’t see what the relevance of them being well off is

it's relevant because if you are well off you can afford insurance. And the bikes are not so valuable that they would not be covered by standard household contents insurance.

But yes I was assuming excess would be no more than £200 so be careful when promising to cover any excess (assuming they can prove the theft happened because your guest left gate open).

As you say you have no obligation to contribute anything.

As far as I can see the cost of the loss to him is £250, I.e the cost of a second hand 2017 bike in the same condition as the one that was taken. He is a major CF asking you to pay £550 for a brand new bike.

If you really wanted to give him something, maybe around £125 would be reasonable. This would be half the cost of the same bike as the one he lost. The other half can be paid by him, he knows leaving his bike outside in London is a risk.

However, since he has asked for £550 he is not going to be happy with an offer of anything less. So he will be annoyed either way. I would go with nothing.

If their bike was worth that much....

1. it should have been better secured
2. it should have been insured

Not up to you to pay anything for it, unless you nicked it or broke it.

That's what happens when you leave stuff outside, unfortunately.

The fact that he has effectively asked for a new bike to replace a two year old one shows you what kind of person he is. He will probably be angry whatever you give him unless it is £550 so I would be tempted to give him nothing or at least a minimal amount.

You are responsible for your guests (up to a point). But you are not responsible for the theft of the bike - unless one of your guests was the thief - I wonder if that's what the neighbour is thinking. I would offer them £50 as a goodwill gesture with no admission of responsibility.

Ask for the police report and to see the chain that was cut!

Then just pay the insurance excess as a goodwill gesture.

I'd only pay the cost of a second hand bike of the same model. They should not get a new bike for free.

OP maybe you could ask for some advice from community police regarding crime number etc? IF your guests left the gate open and IF the bike was taken as a result of this I think you probably have some responsibility but not replacing with a brand new bike. We have expensive bikes that are covered under seperate policies which have a list of stipulations including the type of lock, where it's kept etc. Your neighbour should have insurance in place and follow the stipulations. I'd be wanting to see this and a crime report before I negotiated further.

We also understand the risk involved in owning expensive bikes (more expensive than our old Volvo estate) and take care of them accordingly, i.e don't leave them outside.