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

LumpyandBumps

She said at the start of her first post that the houses open onto the street, no garden. If the car was parked outside her house it would be very close to the paint job.

But she has not adressed why she has no idea of the names of the people who painted the house. It’s not a small job so how was she going to contact them if anything went wrong with the job?

OP's obviously paid cash in hand to get it cheaper due to avoiding VAT, so no invoice.

You don't even have an invoice, really!

I have to say, if I was your neighbour, I would struggle to believe that you genuinely can't get in touch with them.

7 months ago and taking no responsibility, I get why he is running out of patience. You are so unreasonable.

Why is he saying’Wait til I see your husband’? Is this a guy thing because it has to do with cars? Ridiculous. I can understand him being angry, he’s £150 out of pocket because of your failure to pay up. If you can’t get hold of the painters (negligent of you not to get their details) then morally, it’s on you to pay for the damage. Why haven’t you?

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

She isn't obliged to do that. The workmen would say, correctly, that they owe her nothing. It wasn't her car they damaged and she can provide no proof that she paid car man for damage done by them.

Sounds like she's going to pay him to keep the peace, but it really isn't her responsibility.

Just to add that something similar happened to me but on a private co pany (that paid in full a few weeks later) and the quote to fix was over £500, so £150 is more than reasonable.

She has no idea of their names because NDN won't tell her.
It was very unwise to enter into this agreement with the NDN and let them handle their relative doing the job.

NDN was having their house painted. We chatted about this as ours needed a freshen up. Would have done it ourselves but don't have long enough ladders.
Asked painters for a quote which was given verbally and NDN said they were very pleased with the work done by their cousins.
We will pay him and ask for the polish invoice to try and pursue the painter via the NDN.

All previous conversations about it (probably 4) had been very civilised.

4 conversations? You took the piss out of him.

It’s gone on to long. Pay the man half or full amount and chase up the money from the decorator. Why did you send him to ask the neighbour for details I would have done it myself. It can’t be that hard to find them. Wouldn’t house insurance cover this??

I'm not surprised he was pissed off if this has been going on for 6 months!

We didn't ask car guy to chase the NDN.

I'd have paid the man in full- can't believe you only offered half! This whole episode has nothing to do with him or his car. Up to you to figure out how to get your money back from painter- your neighbour certainly shouldn't take the hit.

I agree. I bet they are fuming.

You are shit NDN, OP.

'the petty bitch in me is reluctant to do anything positive for people who show me aggression.'

What part of you poking him with a stick don't you understand?

4 conversations about it and still no payment… no wonder he was annoyed?!

I don’t agree with the aggression but come on.

Yeah, you owe the neighbour the £150. No wonder he's pissed off. Get it back from the painters that you mysteriously don't have any contact details for (?!).

Wow…you are being unbelievably unreasonable. It will be small claims next. Stop being so cheap and pay the man. Saying you don’t know the painters is just absurd and must infuriate him. You’ve let this drag on for months and now your back is up that he’s angry?

Although the tradesperson caused the damage, you were negligent in not engaging with them properly. You should have had a written agreement with contact details and sight of their insurance. I'm afraid you will have to pay the £150 because of this, and lesson learned.

I think if it goes to small claims court, the OP will be just fine. She hasn't been accused of splashing paint on the car. Her 'fault' is hiring someone who did. If I hire a taxi and it reverses into someone else's car, I'm not liable for that. If neighbour wanted to take it to small claims court, he'd be needing to find the person guilty of causing the damage, proof that the car was damaged and at the very least a couple of quotes. Alternatively some sort of proof that OP agreed to reimburse him before he went ahead with the work.

@redlorryyellowlorryredlorryyellowlorry
and you the same person (with a similar username) who is also in dispute with a neighbour about a fence being thrown into your garden?

In my opinion, you the householder, are responsible for the conduct of the work and the nuisance that the tradesmen employed by you have caused to an unsuspecting neighbour.

You should have acknowledged your responsibility and paid up - assuming the neighbour isn't making it up and you believe him and he has a receipt, if you want to see one to verify the cost.

No wonder he is enraged if you haven't immediately accepted your responsibility and your obligation to apologise and pay up.

Yeah sorry I'm with your neighbour on this one.
How did you pay? Surely you had an invoice, or email or something that had the company name and contact details on. NDN clearly isn't going to help.
If I was your neighbour I'd also be fuming that I'd had multiple conversations and got nowhere. Did you tell the neighbour about the painting before so they had chance to move their car?
I think you should pay up and chase the painters for reimbursement

That might be the case if OP could hand over the details of the builder but she can’t so I think it would fall to her.