I wonder if anyone can help - I was a solicitor myself back in the day but this isn't my area and my brain is scrambled egg since I had kids
Workmen came to fit a fireplace last week. During this process the workmen went outside and used the area at the front of the property (within my property, not on the highway) to work on the fireplace.
When they left it was bucketing with rain, the exterior looked a bit grubby (I assumed dust/soot). Over the weekend as the weather dried the marks dried orange - they are rust stains from iron particles where they have cut the fireplace. They have stained the Victorian-stye tiled path, grey slate paving and white painted wall, all of which are less than 12 months old and cost c.£6.5k to install.
I was told by their gas fitter on Monday to rinse with water but this has not shifted any marks. I have called and written to complain. There is £850 of their invoice outstanding which wouldn't cover a fraction of having to replace the damaged flags/tiles/paint.
What should I do? I assume I have to give them a chance to fix it to mitigate their loss? What if they make the marks fade but not go away, ie: it's in a worse condition than before they did the work?
I am so stressed about the disgraceful state of the front of my property and the thought of the cost of fixing it. Any advice gratefully received.