Someone reversed into my fence panel. What would you do?

[ItsABatFaceThing]

On Saturday morning, a woman reversed into our fence. She lives out the back of us - don’t know her at all as we are in a very small cul de sac of 4 houses and she lives over the back where there are parking spaces outside of a few houses.

I didn’t realise she’d done it as it’s in our back garden - until she knocked on my door and told me. I’m grateful she was honest about it and commend her for doing so as we genuinely would have been so puzzled otherwise

She said she was on heavy duty antibiotics and had her two small children in the car and just misjudged. We went into the garden to see the damage - and yeah. She’s caved in the fence, torn it from the posts and it cannot be put back into place

I took her number, told her not to stress , thanked her for letting me know and advised I’d be in touch once I’d got a quote for the damage and we’d take it from there

A local fencing guy came out - we’ve used him on and off for years. The upshot is, it’s almost £400 to put right (we do not have basic fence panels .. I’ve no idea what they’re called but they’re grooved with horizontal posts across them)

I sent her over the quote and she messaged back to say she’s a single parent in social housing and she doesn’t know what to do

So. What do I do? Tell her to go through her insurance? I appreciate an excess payment can be a lot. Do we suck up the cost ourselves and ‘be kind?’ ( we can afford to do this if we have to BUT not easily on a whim and not without feeling it) or .. something else?

What would you do?

Acknowledge the difficultly of paying up front and agree a payment plan of £50 a month if you feel able to?

Ultimately it’s her damage and she’s lucky she didn’t hit a perso. She shouldn’t have driven if not fit.

She claims through her insurance.

Her car insurance.

I would expect her to pay, yes. But you might check your house insurance to see if it's covered.

Can she offer any contribution at all? Instalments? You don't have to make her life a misery but she owned up and must have realised part of that was accepting responsibility and knowing the fence would cost to put right. Perhaps get a couple more quotes.

She needs to claim through her insurance. If she doesn't have any, I don't know how your insurance works, but I would claim through mine and they would then do the work of recovering payment from her.

She needs to go through her insurance; thats what its there for.
Sorry but no sob stories. Most people are living hand to mouth atm.
I'd even question whether she should have been behind the wheel, let alone with children tbh!

I definitely don’t want to make her life a misery that’s for sure ! She was very keen to try and just ‘straighten’ the fence and try and cement it back in- completely ignoring the fact it was snapped in several places!

my husband has suggested that she could perhaps pay half of the cost so that could be something I suppose?

ideally, I’d just want her to claim via her car insurance - that’s what it’s for after all

Very bad advice! Offering any form of credit is an absolute no no and can actually have legal repercussions later on if not done properly!

I suspect her car insurance won’t pay out if she was on medication that told her not to operate heavy machinery. As a single mum I get why she did it. Agree with pp, suggest installments. Or maybe pay half yourself? Talk to her, ask her what she suggests. That she came round and fessed up means she’s probably decent enough. Come to an arrangement that doesn’t leave you feeling like a mug or her being bankrupted.

Do not do instalments as you will be chasing her each month. She needs to claim through her insurance.

if there is no damage to her vehicle or if she doesn't choose to engage you go through your home insurance.
keep it professional don't take cash.

I just feel like the bad guy when she told me she’s on her own with children and hadn’t factored this cost in. But neither had I!

She claims through her insurance, that’s what it’s there for. She shouldn’t have been driving if she wasn’t fit. It could have been a person and not just a fence.

Why should OP pay half?

For the same reason OP’s DH suggested it, maybe.

Ask her to pay half? I know it’s not fair but hey , saves hassle

In my experience OP, I go soft on people like this and then see them the next week doing something with their money that they couldn't do if things were that tight. She needs to pay for the damage she caused and it's up to her to work out how she does that.

I’ve been neutral so far. Have sent over the quote (and it’s reasonable - there’s actually damage to the two panels on either side of the one she’s hit but it’s minor gapping caused by being shunted at force and we are not going to lump that in!)

just want to be clear in what I tell her tomorrow. I don’t want instalments as that doesn’t seem ‘professional’

You sound very kind op, good for you

Also, well done on her for telling you, not everyone would

I would politely offer two suggestions, if you can afford it

Ask her to pay half, on payday
Or ask her to go through her insurance

Those are two good choices and I would be so grateful to have them, being in the same boat myself

🩷

If you can suck it up and sort it with minimal fuss.

Her personal situation is frankly irrelevant! She was driving a vehicle and damaged your fence. Her insurance needs to pay or she does. I have no idea what antibiotics as so strong to impair driving, but if that was the case- she shouldn't have been driving! If she'd hit a shop or child etc, there would be no faffing about providing options. No instalments or paying half. Why should you be disadvantaged by her error? Stay professional and to the point.

If she hadn't fessed up, you'd never have known and would have had to pay

Our excess is £500 and if it wasn't, a small claim would increase next year's premium.

How old was the fence panel? Do you regularly paint it?

I'd be minded to ask her for £100 and be done with it.

If she felt that bad she couldn't drive safely then thank god there was no one standing behind her car! If you start on the instalments then what will you do if she doesnt pay? You've been polite and reasonable, now it goes through her car insurance - that is what it's there for.

@RosesAndHellebores we have 19 fence panels in total and replaced them all at huge cost 3 years ago. They were all repainted dark grey last summer.

and she probably told me because you never know who has cameras etc. we have two out the front and two at the back but not over where this particular fence is