To press charges - am furious with neighbour

[Cardent]

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?

As I say OP
It WILL be amazing significant increase because this is malicious damage and could well happen again

I wouldn't report it and would agree to him paying you every month- be v angry when dealing with him. I doubt he will pay but the insurance increase or solicitors fees in the future make it not worth chasing it.

@ProfessorSlocombe

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.

I wouldn't. And I don't even know him.

Agree to that and you might get a few quid first time, and that will be that.

Personally I'd write a letter asking for the full amount, and when it's not forthcoming start a claim. It will cost the court fee, but ensures they will have to work hard to lose the debt.

I'd also go through my insurers and add any lost NCB to the claim against him too.

As for criminal damage ... well you are more than free to inform the police. But they're unlikely to do much. Especially as it seems limited and specific lawbreaking is quite the thing at the moment. If you're lucky your neighbour could be recruited by the government as a trade expert. Then they could pay you back.

I thought I had seen some pretty twisted ways of making everything posted on here about Brexit, but that takes the biscuit- well done.

I was lucky that the person who destroyed my door paid in cash to cover repairs (Overfilled wheelbarrow), I asked my insurance brokers the costs and it was £300 excess and my insurance would likely increase from £300 a year to £450 to £500 and take a few years to reduce back.

As he's now being an arse of report to the police and let them and insurance company desk with it OP. You don't need the crap and he had his chance x

happened to my df car not a gthousand pounds worth but police arrested him went to court and he said he was skint and n job so that was that didnt pay a thing

I second what MegalodonRampage said. If your insurance people don’t get reimbursed for the damage then it goes down as a fault claim for you. I got hit by a wild deer jumping over a hedge into my car and although I wasn’t at fault they classed it as my fault cos they didn’t get their costs back. I had no claims protector but still got a price hike and every year for 5 years after had to declare it as a ‘my fault’ claim - which pissed me off no end!

Report re criminal damage and go through your insurance. You can try small claims instead.

Are you sure you do not have a protected NCB? You should really report this to the Police and also go through your insurance. He needs a Police warning.Why are you wasting time asking a zillion people?

Report criminal damage to the police and keep hold of texts and the CCTV. Also report to your insurance.

Can you not get a charge against some of his benefit income so he has to pay you a percentage from every payment?

Someone punched my car window and smashed it years ago, police caught them as there was a witness. He was found guilty, given a fine but didn't have to pay me a penny back, so don't rely on that!

@Cardent I remember it was hundreds. Maybe £300 as I was fuming!

Yeah, I can’t afford for my insurance to go up by that much.

Think I’m going to have to not get it repaired and try and get as much money out of him as possible. If I get enough over the next year or so fix it. If I don’t then always have a dented bonnet! Guess at least it’s only cosmetic.