My elderly dad's neighbours are demanding money

[BruhWhy]

About two months ago, some local kids set fire to my dad's fence that runs from the front of his house to the left, and joins onto his neighbour's fence that separates his and their back gardens.

It was terrifying for him, it spread and caught his wheelie bins alight and nearly set alight his mobility car and shed. The fire service had to attend to get it under control at 1am. Confirmed arson, the same kids had been doing it all week.

A few days after this happened he got a note through the door from his neighbour to the left asking him when he was going to replace their fence panel that was burned. He went to speak to them and told them that they'd have to wait a while because he's a disabled pensioner and he hasn't got fence panel money spare, they weren't happy but accepted it.

They've since come to speak to him three more times getting more irate each time because their dog keeps escaping through the damaged fence.

I don't think he should be replacing their fence panel AT ALL, it's their fence and it was damaged by arson, not my dad being careless, if it was my dad's fault I could understand but he didn't set it alight. This is all causing him massive anxiety.

I'm going to go round and speak to them Monday and tell them to piss off, but am AIBU? Is it his responsibility because the fire started on his property?

Actually, I should have said shared responsibility for each part of the boundary.

Your poor dad is being harassed. Go and tell them to cease and desist or you will involve the police. Your dad's health will be being affected by this so he needs you to intervene on his behalf.

It is a crime. Your father and them are a victim of crime (obviously your dad has had it much worse) why on earth would one victim pay another? They need to claim on the their own house insurance for anything that was damaged during the crime.

Bit of an update:

I went and spoke to them yesterday in the end and she completely denied getting irate at my dad, or even knocking on his door more than once. I spoke to his neighbour on the other side after I spoke to them and they confirmed what my dad said, they were definitely getting annoyed at him on the doorstep because they'd poked their heads out - not that I believed them anyway.

Things stayed very polite until it came to me actually telling them they weren't getting their fence paid for. She told me she hasn't got the money for fence repairs (well neither has my dad!) And that as far as she's concerned, arson or not, it's my dad's fault for having black bags of rubbish next to his bin, right up against the fence that caught alight.

That wouldn't have helped matters, no, but it's still not his fault someone set alight to his property. Those black bags didn't self-combust.

Told her it's her fence, which she didn't argue with because she clearly knows it's her fence, and that if she needs a crime number for her insurance she can text me, gave her my number. Slammed the door in my face. Lovely woman.

well done, she is definitely trying it on.

She's a chancer.

She slammed the door as she knew full well you were right and she was being an cheeky fucker.

Hopefully that will be an end to it.

Complete chancer who knows fine well that it's her problem to sort. Hence the lying about her harassment. And hence her faux outrage. Suspect she let her insurance lapse or doesn't want to make a claim. Still not your dad's problem.