Neighbour insisting on something

[Niceeyes]

i recently renovated a flat and there was a small leak from my kitchen to the kitchen below. The owner if the flat requested his ceiling to be painted (really only a patch was needed but my builders painted his entire ceiling) he then complained that the builders had left some splash marks on one wall and marks on another wall too. He now wants the splashes touched up AND his other entire wall painted…. I feel like he’s taking the piss… I’ve seen the wall and it looks fine. Yes there are splash marks on the other wall.
He is the landlord and has a tenant living in the flat.
Im an interior designer and have done my fair share of painting. (He doesn’t know this)
He said he wants proper painters to avoid a bigger issue…
I just feel like he’s taking absolute liberties … one because im a single lady renovating my flat and two he wants his kitchen painted for free.
he said he’ll get someone in if I don’t… and I know he’ll try to charge me some stupid price.
what shall I do?
I feel like he is bullying me.

But one wall has splash marks, by your own admission. If they paint one wall the others won’t match. It will only take one quick coat of paint if the colours are similar, which I assume they are or it would be blotches not splashes. Just do it and stop being spiteful. Remember what goes around, comes around, you might want a favour from him one day.

@Niceeyes he is taking the piss!!! I have also been through similar!! the owner below stated that a leak from a boiler lasting an hour had wrecked his kitchen units!!! i was actually friends with the previous owner and i checked the units no damage/ then i said to my friend isnt that the same kitchen that was there when you bought the flat? yes, she said! the units were 15 years old and he wanted me to replace them!!! I just totally ignored him and everything died down. sure he knew he was chancing it. my tenant most certainly told him what i had said to my tenant about the units being so old!!

I'm no fan of landlords but yes you do need to fix the wall even if there's just a few splash marks. They didn't do a tidy enough job with the ceiling so they have to paint the wall. I mean he could have asked for a replastered ceiling if it had water damage, you've inconvenienced him with the issue in the first place so it's only fair to put it right even if he makes a small gain.

Spot on. The OP is so entitled.

My LL claimed on his insurance when we had a leak through the ceiling and down one wall.

They covered the whole room to make it match. If he claims they’ll charge you more.

This is nothing about you being a single lady and him being a bullying landlord. Not everything in life is about a big nasty man trying to boss around an innocent lady. You caused a leak. You did a shoddy job repairing the damage to his flat. He is not unreasonable at all to want it all fixed properly.

Interior designer here too. You should know that you cannot patch a ceiling with paint as it will be clearly visible. A wall that has been splashed needs to be repainted too. You are being very unreasonable.

If there’s any misunderstanding on our part it’s down to what YOU have written.

i(really only a patch was needed but my builders painted his entire ceiling)

As an interior designer you should know that patching up paintwork is never fully acceptable. You will see the patches especially from different angles. He is 100% right to request the whole ceiling

he then complained that the builders had left some splash marks on one wall and marks on another wall too.

so your points left splash marks on two walls. This is what you seem to be saying. If this is not what you mean then it’s down to your writing that has made people think this.

He now wants the splashes touched up AND his other entire wall painted…. I feel like he’s taking the piss… I’ve seen the wall and it looks fine.

you have acknowledged there are splash marks so your ‘fine’ is not his ‘fine’

Yes there are splash marks on the other wall.

If your painters caused any issues on any walls then it’s down to you to rectify. If the splashes on the second wall are not due to your people then you need to write with more clarity

in any case it may well be that having a fresh ceiling and wall painted you have left the second wall looking worse by contrast. Again this is not unreasonable of him. Put yourself in his shoes. His kitchen was fine. Then due to YOU he now has a ceiling and walls needing redoing and remaining walls looking bad next to re done walls. And he has the inconvenience of having to have painters in. For the inconvenience alone you should be making good the second wall.

He said he wants proper painters to avoid a bigger issue…
Well duh. Who else is going to do it? The tenant? You? The postman?

I just feel like he’s taking absolute liberties
Nope. You are.

I feel like he is bullying me.
Nope. He’s asking to have any damage and inconvenience rectified and compensated. Fair enough

Well the painters did the damage, so they can fix it up

He would actually be claiming under the buildings insurance that the block of flats should have in place, and the excess should be paid out of the sinking fund/service charge. It would also have a knock-on effect for all of the flat owners going forwards.

He’s perfectly entitled to do this and they would most likely to payout, but he probably knows that the most sensible option is for OP to put it right.

OP isn’t going to be popular with other residents if she pushes him to go down the claim route, and it will probably cost OP more in the long run in terms of their share of excess and years of increased premium.

what he should’ve done was contact his insurance and you yours and they’d have dealt with it.
paint his wall and tell him in future should something be wrong/go wrong then to deal with insurance.

my neighbours flooded mine… I contacted them to get it stopped. The rest we dealt with via insurance.
they’d have been painting ceilings in several rooms 😂

Op - I had a problem that affected someone else, someone else wanted me to fix it. I let someone bodge it, now they want me to fix a bigger mess I’m responsible for. what should I do?

everyone - fix it properly

op - yea but no but, I’m single but it’s not my fault, but he’s bullying me

these threads bore me. Majority agree you’re wrong. Make the thread if you’re prepared to take the advice. If you’re not, don’t bloody ask!

Are you the same poster saying they were pregnant and got paint on a neighbours car door?

Your posting style is remarkably similar?

If your builders left splash marks on the wall, how do you propose to make that right without painting the wall?

You sound like a nightmare neighbour to be quite honest! Just make right what you've damaged.

Are you a new interior designer OP?

Surprising an interior designer would think just covering the splashes would be enough.
The one wall would look different to the others and if just patched up, will look blotchy.

YABU.

Your mess. You need to sort it out. Having one freshly painted wall in a kitchen and the others left is a no-go.
Your circus. Your monkey. Insurance should cover it.