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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To press charges - am furious with neighbour

90 replies

Cardent · 10/09/2020 15:48

OK, my car has been badly damaged while parked outside my house.my a drunken neighbour who break danced on it. We have him on cctv as clear as daylight, no arguing that it's him.

He's done nearly 1k worth of damage. He was very drunk.

He says he'll pay but can only do £100 a month due to losing his job and being on universal credit. I'm not sure whether to trust him or not.

But the alternative is I go through my insurance and lose my £300 excess. I'm so close to pressing charges for criminal damage, not sure if the courts would make him pay?

OP posts:
oakleaffy · 10/09/2020 16:51

What a grade 'A' Dickhead.
Years ago I went to a festival in Bristol, and a drunk w@nker was trashing cars roofs and bonnets by jumping up and down on them.

We tried to stop the idiot, {before the days of mobile phones having video recording devices} and people that do this type of thing are just brainless. The owner of one of the cars was so upset.

The neighbour sounds ghastly. So sorry you have to live next door to someone as antisocial as that...Isn't it Criminal damage?

2bazookas · 10/09/2020 16:57

I would go through your insurance; in order to do that you will have to inform the police and get a crime number.

Then tell your neighbour that you expect him to pay you your £300 excess at £100 per month. That saves him around £700 so he should be pleased, yes?

im5050 · 10/09/2020 16:58

My neighbour burnt his car out
It rolled down the hill and hit my 9 month old new car and wrote it off
Fuck all happened to him
My insurance on my other car went from 30 a mont to over £100
And I have CCTv no sign up and it was recently used by the police to charge another neighbour of a serious crime and he was convicted of it only last month .
So it’s not always true that you need a sign up for cctv
I do actually live in a nice posh area. Just got twats for neighbours

ithinkiveseenthisfilmbefore · 10/09/2020 17:04

call the police; get an incident report number
call your insurance company
Small claims court is also an option.

oakleaffy · 10/09/2020 17:07

Re CCTV...Remember Chris Watts murder case. {Colorado USA}..Nate the Neighbour had Watts bang to rights on the CCTV loading his van with poor Shann'an.

I'm sure Nate didn't have CCTV warning signs

Decentsalnotime · 10/09/2020 17:07

Your premiums will rocket next year as it will be recorded as malicious damage, which makes chances of it happening again - high

SomeOtherGirl · 10/09/2020 17:07

This is frustrating. He must have spent quite a lot on enough drink to Get him that drunk!

Decentsalnotime · 10/09/2020 17:07

12 years of insurance experience talking here

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 10/09/2020 17:08

You need to go through your insurance, regardless.
You could invalidate it if you don't report the damage, even though it's not your fault.
And in all honesty I'd tell the police too. It's criminal damage!

jessstan2 · 10/09/2020 17:09

Is there any way you can get him to sign something that legally binds him to paying the damages monthly?

If it did go to court I doubt the court would order payments of £100 a month, more like £50, if he is on benefits.

InsaneInTheViralMembrane · 10/09/2020 17:10

If you take him to court and get a CCJ - he’ll pay £5/week on UC.

gamerchick · 10/09/2020 17:14

Yanno, a sticker to say you have CCTV is just a couple of quid..

saveforthat · 10/09/2020 17:16

I'm not sure you can use the CCTV either. A friends moped was damaged when two men knocked it over. A kind passer by filmed the incident which included the perps reg no. They denied it and were not prosecuted.

QueenPaws · 10/09/2020 17:21

Just a point - my car was damaged (£1000) by a pedestrian. NCB protected but my insurance went up a fair bit the next year as they explained they can't claim back off a pedestrian
He punched the a frame of my then brand new car causing a massive dent, the windscreen and everything had to come out

I did contemplate if he had got in the car (as he was trying) and punched me, I would have been better off with criminal injuries compensation GrinBlush

QueenPaws · 10/09/2020 17:22

Oh and I was given £100 which didn't even cover my excess paid back at £5pm

canihaveabrew · 10/09/2020 17:26

Sorry, I can't get past the breakdancing on your car?!

How on EARTH did that happen?

Go to the police, OP. He'll get a slap on the wrist at most but hopefully, the message gets across. Additionally, take the fucker to court - how much would your insurance go up a month if you claimed on the excess?

IntermittentParps · 10/09/2020 17:26

save, the OP has said it's business CCTV and they have signs.

jessstan2 · 10/09/2020 17:31

@InsaneInTheViralMembrane

If you take him to court and get a CCJ - he’ll pay £5/week on UC.
I thought that. I'd just get him to sign a legal document prepared by a solicitor but that will cost (unless you have a tame solicitor or are one). However I do think he is being a bit ambitious to offer to pay £100 a month, though it does show he is sorry and willing. I'd settle for £50 and if he can afford to pay it off quicker, great.

Go to the CAB and see what they say.

AudTheDeepMinded · 10/09/2020 17:39

I'd pass the footage and story to the local press and publish it on the local facebook page, just to make life unpleasant for him in a small community. He sounds like that would be less than he deserves, arrogant fuckwit. I bet he spends more than £100 a month on getting pissed.

CatSmith · 10/09/2020 17:46

Report it to the police and your insurance. That’s all you can do and all you need to do.

JoanJosephJim · 10/09/2020 17:48

As people keep pointing out your premiums will rise as a result if they cannot get money out of your neighbour. Your NCB is protected but next year you will see an increase in your insurance cost.

Original poster
Cardent · 10/09/2020 17:54

@QueenPaws

Just a point - my car was damaged (£1000) by a pedestrian. NCB protected but my insurance went up a fair bit the next year as they explained they can't claim back off a pedestrian He punched the a frame of my then brand new car causing a massive dent, the windscreen and everything had to come out

I did contemplate if he had got in the car (as he was trying) and punched me, I would have been better off with criminal injuries compensation GrinBlush

Can you remember how much the insurance went up by. I know for a no fault claim with another car my insurance went up by £30 a year. But I'm worried a fault claim will be significantly more
OP posts:
HaggyMaggie · 10/09/2020 18:04

He sounds a twat, you will ultimately lose but I would make him lose as well. Report to the police, report to the insurance and suck up the loss of NCB and excess which maybe the courts can reclaim from him.

That’s the best you can do, he shouldn’t get away with it, he’s a dick though.

HaggyMaggie · 10/09/2020 18:08

remember Chris Watts murder case (Colorado)

Unlikely. The vast majority of us are British or at least UK based British Residents including the OP Since she is using £.

MJMG2015 · 10/09/2020 18:09

@QueenPaws

Just a point - my car was damaged (£1000) by a pedestrian. NCB protected but my insurance went up a fair bit the next year as they explained they can't claim back off a pedestrian He punched the a frame of my then brand new car causing a massive dent, the windscreen and everything had to come out

I did contemplate if he had got in the car (as he was trying) and punched me, I would have been better off with criminal injuries compensation GrinBlush

Well, I'm bloody glad he didn't! That must have been scary!