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.

The police will not be interested

DH says Animal Welfare laws would allow you to break in (window, whatever) to rescue an animal. Imagine seeing a dog in a hot car, and thinking you couldn't break in to get him out and save his life.

Obviously it's a bit late for that suggestion, but what you did was your attempt to save your cat. Neighbours are OTT re: costs.

And my advice is MOVE. They have proved to you that they will be horrific neighbours. What happens if your cat goes into their place again? Has an altercation with their cat? Nightmare.

I've been following this. As much as I understood your concern for the cat, the whole thing with crabsticks and ice cubes etc... If I'm doing up a lovely new home and someone and their cat does damages, I'd also want to be compensated. And no way I'd want you anywhere near my house to re-paint the damage you caused.

It takes a lot for me not to believe a poster but… 🦈

Ah such a tough situation

That is much cheaper than I thought - you need to take responsibility. Why should their house be damaged due to your pet.

The cat flap wasn't one way. It was locked and OP cat broke into it pulling the screws out in the process and rendering it unserviceable and thus trapping itself inside. That's a very different state of affairs for your solicitor DH to comment on (and the cat had previous form for similar break-ins through cat flaps).

I'm sorry to hear about all the stress you've gone through over the cat rescue and the owner's of the house reacting how they have, especially having cats themselves. I mean what did they expect you to do? Maybe ask them how THEY would have reacted (handled it better) had this had happened with THEIR cat? Were you just expected to watch the cat die??? You were caught up in a horrible situation with no easy answer to the solution and due to their own cat ownership, the property wasn't that secure from other cats, anyway. I think they are absolutely taking the piss (no pun intended) over all the random charges and out to get you as much as possible over this, even though I bet they'd have reacted the same probably in the reverse situation HAD this been their cat. I am really curious, though over what they would have done! I'd definitely not pay more over a couple of hundred towards rug cleaning or whatever. If they have £800 to kick about on spending on a rug, it doesn't sound like they massively need the money and are just trying to take from you over this because they think they can!

I haven’t read to the end of the thread yet but has anyone considered that the neighbours might not have insurance yet if they haven’t moved in? Which is why they so quickly said no to claiming and came up with this fantasy list of costs. They’re taking the pee!

Haven't read all of thread 3, saw this and thought it was good advice, I mean if you had not been able to get your cat out and the worst had happened to him, would they have offered you compensation?
I think legal advice might be a good path to go down, yes your cat did damage but the catflap was plainly not secured and you suffered considerable emotional distress over the weekend (and I mean this, I am not joking, you were plainly really worried about your cat and feared he may die if not rescued in time):
There must be some compromise, their costs sound way over the top, and you are willing to remedy the issues, but just dont't have 'welcome' written on your forehead (ie you are not a doormat!)

You have to take out insurance when you exchange contracts.

Why on earth didn't they lock their cat flap! would have avoided all this! A really fancy cat flap doesn't;t cost £200. Your last suggestion of £400 is generous for me, as its their responsibility to secure their house. But I would look at the cost of the cat flap, £100 is plenty and a small amount for cleaning if they won't let you do that yourself.

Yabu. You lucky to not be arrested for attempted breaking and entry. That's cheap. Pay it quickly.

Why was it set on in only?

Yes and this! They really are completely responsible for this.

I'm with the neighbours on this and would be furious and consider the OP was very, very unreasonable indeed. The damage was hugely exacerbated by the OP behaving like a hysterical fool (egged on by many other MNers) to the point where she was going to throw a bird bath through a window. Anyone who suggested they'd be livid if this happened to them was labelled a cat hater. Once they got access to the house, the OP was so self-absorbed that she didn't make any attempt to clear up the mess. Then doubled down and refused to consider any actions that might mean this doesn't happen again whilst posting photos of her beautiful boy who has the right to continue his habit of entering other people's houses and nicking the food.
Of course, this assumes these events happened as reported ....

I think you mean the damages are being hugely exaggerated.

Well it seems like OP is doing their best to get this picked up by a crappy tabloid - in which case, perhaps the home owners will see for themselves what the real story is.

OP, you were aware that your cat has form for this, so its on you to fix I am afraid!

Surprised they didn’t add a cost for the call out of the builder to come let your cat out at a cost of £10,000.

Obviously the amount you've stated is hyperbolic, but do you not think that the builder's time is worth anything? Should he not be paid for being called out to a job?

Hahaha previous crimes would be inadmissible in a criminal trial but not in a civil trial determining whether OP acted reasonably in not restraining him from further offending.

The fact that she may escape liability by lying about the cat’s track record doesn’t mean she’s not legally and morally responsible.

Empty buildings insurance is very specific and very expensive (which can be mitigated a bit with a larger excess), it also is unlikely to include contents (the rug).

The claim should be against OP insurance not the home owners anyway as she is responsible for her animal (or should be, she clearly isn't in reality) and also responsible for the damaged she caused herself.