Neighbour issue. What to do next?

[redlorryyellowlorryredlorryyellowlorry]

Hi ladies. We live in a quiet, short road. Around 30 houses, all which open straight onto the pavement. 7 months ago our neighbour was having his house painted. Ooh says I......let's ask them to do ours too. Price was agreed and off they went.
A couple of days later they were good to start. We chose the paint and off they set. Myself and my husband were out at work and returned to a lovely great paint job.
Around 4 weeks following this a neighbour from down the road knocked to say the painters had got paint sprinkles on his car (it was parked outside our house when the painting was done). The painters had clearly not covered the close cars with a cloth. We didn't have direct contact details for the painters but we were sure our NDN would as they had initially engaged them.
We asked NDN to get in touch with them or pass us their contact details.
NDN did none of these things despite us asking several times. Neighbour with the car got his car polished, removing the paint. He said it cost £150 and is looking for reimbursement of this from either the painters or ourselves.
On Sunday 'down the road' neighbour confronted DH, effing and jeffing and threatening him. Like zero to 100. Prior to this DH was going to offer to pay half as we can't get hold of the painters and NDN are definitely not going to help with contact. Anyway, down the road neighbour storms off threatening DH and allsorts. DH didn't react to his aggressive approach (retired police).
Planned to leave it a few days for him to calm down and pop over to resolve.
Just now I went to take the bins out and down the road neighbour is walking to our house with a glare. I ask him is he is OK? 'Not really' he growls. 'Just wait till I see your husband' and off he goes giving me the evils.
Whilst I don't feel threatened by the dick swinging, I am feeling huge resistance to helping him meet the cost of the car polish now. But equally I don't need this drama so close to my home.
Any suggestions for the next step?
Should we be the bigger person and pop the cash through his letter box or let the angry man stew in his juices?
Sorry no diagram

Car guy knows all of this.

This.

And the reason he is being aggressive is ………….?

I agree.

Firstly there's no proof that the painter caused the damage. The neighbour didn't report it at the time, only after he'd allegedly paid for repair at a garage he chose.

Secondly, the painter caused the damage. He should be pursuing the painter for the money and in OP's shoes I'd be getting the tradesman's details - that can't be impossible.

If people really think we're responsible for the activities of tradesmen we hire, where do they think it ends? They are not your employees and you're not legally responsible for what they do. If you hired scaffolders and they dropped scaffolding on a car, causing severe damage, do you believe you're responsible for the 1000s to repair it? Of course you're not and they have insurance to cover claims against them.

I'd contact my home insurance company for the free legal advice they offer. To be honest if I was the car owner I'd probably just claim on my insurance too.

I don't think you should have to,pay but I also don't beleive you have no details for the painters.

I agree

The only reason I can think that you don't have their number is because you did not get a written invoice. Does that mean you paid them in cash rather than via an invoice? Unfortunately, I think if you did then there is a chance they are not insured hence the avoidance from the neighbour to give his family members details. If you did pay cash then I think its down to you to sort - a reputable company would have probably covered the cars or have insurance to cover such damage.

Solve this the simple way. Ask the neighbours over to a chat with tea and cake. Apologise and give them the cash. Happy neighbours makes good neighbours. Simples

Spot on

Yes. I'm really surprised that so many people think a householder is liable for damage caused by a tradesman.

Seems to me that the NDN is deliberately withholding the contact details of their relative, the tradesman, so that the OP will give in and pay up instead.

Do not pay him anything!!! The CF has zero proof that anything happened, he's just trying his luck!

If you pay it, you're admitting liability and means he'll come up with something else next time you get any work done.
You get a cat - it will have destroyed something in his garden/killed a fictional guinea pig
You get a dog - it will have bit him/poo'ed on his door step causing him to 'slip' (even if it's never off its lead!!)
You have a storm or get your roof done - a roof tile will have magically damaged his house/garden
You have any kind of external work done to your home/garden then it will have caused some kind of monetary loss to him.
You have kids - the kid will have damaged his house somehow once he/she is playing out.

Oh come on, this is clearly fake. Of course you’d have contact details from an invoice.

This

And this is the one point that @redlorryyellowlorryredlorryyellowlorry is unwilling to address.

I'd say you're the problem neighbour here.

Your neighbour have been waiting around 6 months to get this solved. I can see why he is angry.
I would pay the 150 quid and leave there if I were you.

OP said the painter is a relative of the NDN who are refusing to give their details. So the NDN is letting them get away with it, leaving OP to face angry car man.

Nah, I wouldn't be paying him a penny.

You didn't cause any damage to his vehicle.
Did he should you the paint splatters?

Why are your ndn not giving you a name? Has the car neighbour knocked and asked for the details from them?

Also, if he expected you to pay surely he should have discussed costs first of all? What kind of car does he have? I've had a van valeted, inside and out, for less than £150.

can i assume firstly that you did actually witness said paint damage to the neighbours car? because i would certainly want to have seen it before anything happened.

and as everyone else has said, in the absence of details of the workmen, its on you to pay the money and then chase it with the workmen.

im unsure how, if the job was defective how you were going to chase this up with the workmen if you did not have their details?

how did you pay them?

This is why we didn't give him the money for the car polish straight away. We wanted to try and pursue the painters.
NDN won't help and that's on us for not engaging trade correctly.
I appreciate now is the time to pay the man. I have no reason to believe he is not being truthful about the paint but his threats are really not proportional.

For the sake of £150, I would just pay the neighbour.

Then you can learn a lesson and move on without the stress.

She has addressed it clearly. NDN engaged the painter, not her. Turns out painter is a relative of NDN. NDN won't give their details.

"Around 4 weeks following this a neighbour from down the road knocked to say the painters had got paint sprinkles on his car (it was parked outside our house when the painting was done). " Also it's been 7 months right?

Why did he wait 4 weeks to talk to you? I don't really believe down the road neighbour that the paint was splattered at your house. Ask him for his cleaning invoice, tell him you need a copy to try pass on to the painters.

I would talk to NDN again say you really need the painters details. Do you not have a name at all? How did you pay for it?

But I'd also possibly pay for the quiet life but I don't really think it's your responsibility at all.

"Not proportional"? But the reasoned and civilised approach hasn't worked for him, has it? Now he's lost his cool you're taking notice.