To break into my new neighbours house *THREAD 3: The Final Conundrum*

[Catsos]

I’m really not trying to drag this out 😩 but I seriously need some advice following on from my posts this weekend where my cat (who has a reputation for breaking cat-flaps in the neighbourhood) broke into my new neighbours vacant house while it is being renovated.

Here is the original post if anyone needs more context:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4881905-to-break-into-new-neighbours-house-serious-question-not-trolling

After not being able to get back out the cat-flap he was stuck in there for 48 hours over the bank holiday weekend and then finally released by the builder after various rescue attempts by me.

During that period however some damage occurred to my new neighbours property. I had hoped they would take it all in good spirits as fellow cat owners and we’d laugh about it and be new cat bessie mates but they we’re absolutely seething!!

They have proposed that I pay £1,600!!! for the following:

£800 to replace the rug my cat wee’d on

£400 to replace an area of laminate flooring as apparently the wee has gone into the underlay

I offered to pay £100 for professional rug cleaning, but the wife (who seems very neurotic) says her cats will still be able to smell my cats urine and they don’t want that to stress their cats out when they move them into the new home

£150 for repainting areas of muddy foot prints on the walls where my cat scratched to get out
(again I offered to just wipe them off but the wife insists it is repainted)

£50 to repaint window sils where the crabsticks & icecubes I dropped through the window has damaged the paint

£200 for a new bathroom window vent as I pushed thinly slice honey roasted ham through it

AIBU to think they are being very over the top? I could personally clean/repaint all of these things myself. Should I refuse to pay this amount? I don’t even have this amount available anyway, I would need to get an overdraft.

I'd pay £250, which covers anything you directly damaged. I wouldn't pay anything for the cat. They should have secured their house better against animal intruders. I'd do it that way as it creates a clear line about what is reasonable to blame you for.

But that’s based on the premise the cat flap was faulty. We don’t know one way or the other whether that was the case - it seems likely based on the OPs posts that her car broke it (given it has done similar before)

Ask him if his opinion still stands if the cat had a “reputation” for breaking into other peoples’ houses.

I’m also a litigation solicitor for what it’s worth and I disagree with your husband - though I’m happy to be corrected by someone who knows; crabstick, ham and trapped cat damage is quite a long way outside of my regular expertise!

Maybe you should countersue them for leaving their cat flap unsecured so your cat could enter, causing your cat to be in danger, and causing you great anxiety over the danger to your cat's life.

Petplan paid out thousands for my cat from the age of 10 until he died at 18. I'd had him insured with them for years without claiming so because it was a lifetime policy it just carried on. You can also get new pet insurance policies for older cats, it doesn't stop paying out at 8.

I can see both sides here. Their house was not secure, but also - crabs sticks ham and ice cubes 🙄 Really this is what their buildings and contents insurance is for - if they don't want to claim on it that's their choice but it's unreasonable to then expect you to pay for everything.

You could ask them to itemise and provide proof of the cost of every item but that's probably going to inflame the situation. Really both parties should compromise and I think your offer is a good idea. You may need to go a bit higher to resolve it though. You could also leave them to calm down for a day or so.

Good luck!

They can’t be that high end if they have laminate flooring.

Most cat flaps can be forced open, most animals are not determined enough to do it. It's not their fault your cat broke in, and you know your cat has form for this.

Legally you can't be held responsible for the cats behaviour and pet insurance doesn't generally cover 3rd party for cats because of this. Morally you are responsible, depends on how much you want to keep neighbourly relations. I personally wouldn't want a random neighbour patching up a house I'd just spent 1000s on doing up and trades costs money.

I'd pay for:

Repairs to Cat flap or replacement if repair is not possible- many microchip ones are around 200 if they are the ones that use apps etc.

Painting the windowsill damaged by your actions.

Replacement of the vent - you yourself admit there would be ham in crevices so why should they have to put up with smells/vermin from this.

A token amount for rug cleaning.

Get quotes before paying.

That way your are meeting your legal obligations (stuff you did) and have provided a little bit voluntarily to cover some damage.

If they want more they use their insurance . Although whatever happens I guess your name will be mud in the neighborhood.

It seems excessive. Have you seen any quotes eg for the painting or a new vent?

Hmm just started reading the thread, but seems convenient that there was so much support for crabsticking and breaking the neighbours house but not as much for paying for the repairs

I would suggest they claim on their house insurance if they don't accept your counter offer. That's what it's for. If the house hadn't been uninhabited and the cat flap locked it wouldn't have happened.

Oh and convenient the OP has seemingly been lucky to come back to start a new thread exactly at the end of the last one.

£400 is more than generous. They could have had a wild animal get in that flap and they'd have no one to chase for money (and had to try to remove it themselves!).

Just another thought on the matter...can the home owner prove that it was this cat that caused damage? No. It could be any cat going in there pissing everywhere. As the article below suggests, they cannot prove anything, apart from the admittance of food entering the building.

Whatever you decide to do OP, please remember to communicate via letter, or email so you have proof.

https://www.justanswer.co.uk/law/7ugpp-neighbors-cats-damaged-family-s-vehicles.html

Three threads and big updates predicted just before they're happening.. OP is clairvoyant

Interesting crop on the photos

Thread 4: cat gets stuck again?

Along with a typical Daily Mail sad face whilst OP is holding the cat. Along with an illustration of the offending cat flap and drawing showing how the cat got in and stuck 😂😂😂

Ffs op you damaged their house so pay up and stop taking the piss , I’d be fucking furious if someone was posting ham through vents in my windows , who on earth do you think you are ?

Gosh what a lot has happened since my early post on the first thread saying you could open a cat flap very easily from the outside with a credit card.

That cat flap looks identical to ours. @Catsos your Rightmove screenshot shows places in West Sussex. If that is where you’re based I could have told you exactly which locksmith could have opened that cat flap and propped it open for your cat to get out (not actually letting you in the house).

I can’t believe you posted crabsticks and ham into their house. I’d be seething too.

Ask him if his opinion still stands if the cat had a “reputation” for breaking into other peoples’ houses.

But aside from this thread, how will they know about the cats 'reputation'? Are they really likely to go door knocking in the neighbourhood. Will the word on the street get back via their cats? Will the cat need a good character witness in court? I very much doubt that the cat's reputation will come into it. Besides which, unless his previous crimes are of very similar ilk, his prior offending history will be deemed inadmissible in court!

...but that's not what happened, they know, OP knows, we all know. Seems morals come with a price for some.

Surely nobody actually still believes this do they?