Apologies need urgent advice/info

[Tinyhumansurvivalist]

Apologies, blatant post for traffic.

I am having my garden landscaped, been booked for months after receiving inheritance. They have had a mini digger and dumper to clear everything out of it. At somewhere around 0600 some lads have used a van to pinch the dumper. Neighbour caught them and filmed them whilst calling the police. Woke me up to tell me. My bedroom is on the front so didn't hear a thing and the gardener had said he would be here early so I am not sure I would have flinched at the noise had I heard anything.

They other guy that works with them has been out this morning and hinted they don't have insurance for hired equipment. Is there any way they can come after me for the money for it with it being in my garden? They have admitted they didn't correctly secure it etc but I don't have 25k for a dumper truck!

Well interesting update today...turns out the guys who hired it out don't have insurance for the third party hirer so they are now demanding the cost of it from the gardening company...he didn't take out insurance to cover hired equipment because he assumed he was covered by the hire company as they never mentioned insurance.

I just want my garden finished 😩

@isitorisntit how have you found the cameras? The reviews seem really mixed but they looked the best for what I am willing to spend at this point. Dp has canary cameras at his house but they are eyewateringly expensive

Hmm...they've finished using it, they stored it at your place without asking, they didn't secure it properly, they didn't insure it, they're hinting you may be liable for the loss? Lucky your neighbour filmed it or they might be claiming you'd stolen it yourself. I think in your shoes I would be braced for this to be some kind of scam.

@ConquestEmpireHungerPlague they haven't hinted I could be liable, I am just preparing myself in case they do.

I am just trying to set up the blink cameras now. The picture quality looks fab from testing it in the house which is a relief as some of the reviews suggest it's pants.

@Bluntness100

I’d speak to my insurance company if I was you. As it was on your property you may have responsibility here as you permitted them to leave it there, and as such under your responsibility unless you have something saying it was at their risk (unlikely who does that). Unless it was on the street?

If it was on your property and you agreed it to be left there, you may be responsible. I would assume it was insured though by the owners and they need to find that out. And if so you would possibly be off the hook, if it was insured to be left unattended.

What a load of nonsense 🙄

OP don’t worry about it-not your concern

No, you don't have any liability. It's up to them to have insurance as you paid for x work to be completed, rather than sourced the equipment yourself and simply asked someone to do just the physical work. If they don't have the correct insurance then that's not your problem, what if they had damaged your house or something with the equipment? Always check they have it for your sake too. They need to sort it out between themselves, it's not even like you moved it from where they left it.

Thanks for the reassurance folks.

The guys are here today although honestly I can't see what exactly they have been doing. Nothing seems to have altered....they appear to be blaming the slow speed on jot having the dumper that was stolen, however it was due to be collected at 9am that day so I feel that is pure bs.

They have managed to smash the glass on my rattan coffee table which I am seriously pissed off at. They have forced the doors on my shed and i suspect they have damaged them hut until it is back in the flat base it is difficult to tell for sure. I am dreading the confrontation about it so may wait until dp is back on Friday before I challenge or at least make sure my dad is here because I suspect they may get remarkably arsey if I call them on things.

Take a photo of the stuff they have broken, also try and back it up with some written correspondence, otherwise they'll do what they can to wiggle out of paying for the damage they have caused, but they absolutely should.

I have written confirmation that they are meant to be sorting the table top and until I can get the shed back on flat ground (fab neighbour currently has it on her garden but just on the grass) I can't check it but will get photos etc once I can see it.

I'm beginning to think they have seen single mum and decided they can't just take the piss

Talk to your insurer to check. Be on the safe side. This isn’t maybe as straight forward as you ( and I) hope it might be. Good luck. Hope your actually not in any way accountable. 💐

This sounds like quite a shitshow OP, I'm sorry you're having all this hassle and worry.