Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbour taking friend to court

314 replies

Clappingforjoy · 17/01/2020 10:30

My friend had a fire in his garden last April and it caused damage to some neighbouring gardens especially the one neighbour. My friend didn't and still doesnt know how it started so that remains a mystery and the fire brigade could only say that it started in our garden but they didnt know how.
Now several months later we have been made aware that the neighbour that suffered the most damage is taking him to court and is getting all the others on his side and got witness statements off them and gave them to his solicitor to say my friend was burning rubbish the day before he denies this and says the only thing he did was get a weed burner out from his shed st the side of the house and take it to the front garden to burn weeds then he put it back ensuring it was out.
After this he went out and on arriving home abt an hour later the fire had already started way at the bottom of the garden far from the side shed.
His son was there and had noticed the fire from his bedroom window and had already called the fire brigade.
All neighbours have since few months ago had all repairs done so I can only think they are claiming for thier excess.
What should he do friend is dismissing saying he is totally innocent and despite the fact he has a burner he hadnt used it for several weeks but claims he has smelt burning before from somebody else's garden in the past and there is no proof of anything except probably some made up statements from neighbours trying to get money.

OP posts:
Getitwright · 17/01/2020 11:20

This is better than Jackanory! I hope everyone lives happily ever after!😂

ZebrasAreHorsesInPyjamas · 17/01/2020 11:20

What is his insurance saying?

beautifulstranger101 · 17/01/2020 11:20

It was your garden wasnt it OP?

I'm sorry but if you've been burning weeds and then a fire mysteriously started, the chances are it was you who started it.

Agree you need to seek legal advice. I would be furious if I was your neighbours aswell.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 17/01/2020 11:21

*Actually, I think your ex should represent himself.

And you should sell tickets.*

I'd pay to see it. Then you could pay his court costs for him Smile

Clappingforjoy · 17/01/2020 11:21

He isnt financially prepared for any costs so how will that work

OP posts:
thecatfromjapan · 17/01/2020 11:21

This makes me mourn the demise of local papers.

We'd have loved someone arguing a case of spontaneous combustion in court on our old local paper.

I mean ... this thread is great.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 17/01/2020 11:22

@Clappingforjoy that means he's going to get into debt. This happened months ago. He knew he'd have to pay eventually.

sonjadog · 17/01/2020 11:22

There isn't anything for you or your friend to do now. The court will decide. He will present what he knows ,as will the other side, the fire department will present their report, the court will make a ruling. If he has insurance, he should contact them asap. He may need legal representation. Discussing what happened here and if he did it on purpose or not makes no difference at all. He needs to get practical help in place for the court case.

JasonPollack · 17/01/2020 11:23

Did you break up because of his inability to take responsibility for his own mistakes or actions? Hmm

Clappingforjoy · 17/01/2020 11:23

His insurance have just told him to forward everything to them

OP posts:
ItsGoingTibiaK · 17/01/2020 11:24

"...say my friend was burning rubbish the day before he denies this and says the only thing he did was get a weed burner out from his shed st the side of the house and take it to the front garden to burn weeds then he put it back ensuring it was out."

He was burning rubbish/weeds. The witnesses were correct. Your friend and the neighbour can now can go and put their sides to the court and the court will decide, on balance of probabilities, who is correct. That's how the law works.

fligglepige · 17/01/2020 11:24

Gardens do not spontaneously go on fire in the UK, your friend needs to stop burning things in his garden.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 17/01/2020 11:24

Because his insurance will pay which is why it's what he should've done months ago 🙈

ProfessorSlocombe · 17/01/2020 11:26

What is his insurance saying?

I'm willing to be a G&T (or hot chocolate) that the insurance haven't been notified. Which adds to the hilarity as if they are notified now, they'll simply refuse to get involved. And I can't see a court in the land disagreeing.

Aposterhasnoname · 17/01/2020 11:26

None of us smoked at the time yet a fag end was found by ex in the rubble

This is gold. The fire was bad enough to leave rubble, but the fag end that started it was fully intact Grin

AllergicToAMop · 17/01/2020 11:27

I really want to see pics of the damage, because that fire must have been massive!

Clappingforjoy · 17/01/2020 11:28

Honestly come on mumsnetters if a fire started in your garden and you believed that there was no way you had caused it would you be saying oh yes I was burning rubbish like you all claim and yes I didnt put my weed burner away sensibly when you know you did. Who in the right mind throws thier arms up in the air and says yes it was me when it wasnt without a fight.

OP posts:
Minky35 · 17/01/2020 11:28

So your ex was burning stuff in his garden and on the same day a fire started in his garden, which spread to a neighbours garden, yet it’s somehow due to another unknown cause?
I’m not buying it. Your ex sounds like a nightmare neighbour to be denying responsibility for this too.

ProfessorSlocombe · 17/01/2020 11:28

Oh well, that's a G&T voucher -----> Gin

The subsequent question now, is why aren't the insurance handling all this ?

TheMustressMhor · 17/01/2020 11:28

Sorry OP. I am having a good deal of trouble figuring out what happened, as your use of pronouns keeps changing.

However, my advice is the same. If it didn't happen in your garden (ah, but did it?) then I don't see why you're so invested in the proceedings.

Stressedout10 · 17/01/2020 11:28

Or it was the neighbour's solar powered lights🤣

lyralalala · 17/01/2020 11:28

He'll have to pay if it started in his garden

Friends of mine had to pay (via insurance) for damage to neighbours gardens even though the most likely cause was given by the fire brigade as one of those hideous Chinese lanterns

Hingeandbracket · 17/01/2020 11:30

This is another top quality thread - I hope the Daily Hiel pick up on it

GiveHerHellFromUs · 17/01/2020 11:31

If a fire started in my garden when I'd previously been burning things in my garden I'd accept that there's a reasonable chance I could've made a mistake and that the fire probably started in my garden.

Lucked · 17/01/2020 11:31

Let’s say you had a house fire that started and the ambulance service couldn’t pin point the exact cause, if that spread to neighbours properties then your insurance would still be liable. I cannot see how this is anything different. It was an accident (fire brigade having ruled out arson) but this accident happened on your friends property so it is his insurance that pays out after he pays the excess.