Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay for my excess dust?

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  • iclayt
    iclayt Posts: 454
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    If I'm reading correctly, he hasn't actually asked you to clean his car (yet)?

    If he does, a quick swill with a bucket of water will do the job, and it won't cost you anything. If he doesn't mention it again I'd let it go.

    The photos are intriguing. Perhaps he's just someone who likes to take photos of things that have annoyed him for when he fancies feeling indignant about something and needs a visual aid.
  • Swirley
    Swirley Posts: 69 Forumite
    Frankly, I think he's just trying it on, to see what he can get out of you.

    If the thought of a potential argument worries you though, then you could do as previous posters have said - fill up a bucket, knock on his door and say you're going to wash his car. Chances are he will decline (most people don't want strangers washing their car)!
    When life gives you lemons make lemonade. When life gives you chocolate......eat it! :rotfl:
  • NoAngel
    NoAngel Posts: 774
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    Maybe he's expecting the dust to cause scratches? May be possible, so he's photographing it to proove the dust caused damage. Either way, I'd just offer to pay for him to get his car wahsed once the work is done.
  • tryfive
    tryfive Posts: 82 Forumite
    Offer to chuck a bucket of water over it. (Just plain water, note - no detergent, no scrubbing with a sponge or any form of elbow grease!)

    The only reason I can think of for taking photos is for "evidential purposes"

    Well, OK, LET HIM SUE!

    It'd be worth it just to see him get a verbal slapping from the court - and on top of that it'll cost him about 20 quid in court fees.

    By offering a bucketful of water ("mitigation") to swill over it, it's pretty certain he'd lose.

    Not knowing the pedantic gumblebunny in question though, it does suggest you've got a problematic neighbour, which implies there may be more problems in store for the future :(

    (Either that, or he's just got a particularly odd sense of humour...)
  • I'd go over and take some pictures of his car too, that'll fox him, If he asks what you're doing just tell him you're collecting evidence for the dirt police, then laugh in his face and tell him to get real.
    Then next time he washes his car take pictures of your driveway when he asks what you're doing there tell him he's managed to get water vapour on you're drive (just as ridiculous).
    Do you know what I can't be doing with people like this, just you be equally stupid about forget being big that's for sensible people.
  • Had pretty much the same thing happen to me whilst laying some paving. Neighbour complained that dust from cutting flagstones had covered their car in dust. I rinsed it off for them. If I'd wanted to be unhelpful I could have pointed out that the car shouldn't have been parked where it was. They had no legal means of getting it from the road into their front garden because there is a pavement between the two which the Highway Code says they are not allowed to drive on.
  • jenniewb
    jenniewb Posts: 12,836
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    Would need more specifics: was he warned you were building and when he was, was there ample time and space for him to move his car?

    Did he ask you for a sheild or dust cover or some sort?

    Do he and you normally not get on?

    I would say yes, you should pay as I doubt the above have been followed. But if they have and he chose to chance his luck then no, its his problem.

    If you came home to find your garden covered in dust, you'd be mad, you'd want compensation, this is not that different, the only real difference is its repairable and easy to fix.
    At the end of the day though, your neighbours, you may need each other some time in the future and its a good idea to keep your neighbours on your good side. Both of you should be compromising. You need to apologise, he needs to stop being so uptight I mean if he is short on cash to pay for the car being washed or needs it in top condition for work or worse, its a rental, it is understandable but taking pictures just sounds like he has too much time and too short a fuse.
  • LesD
    LesD Posts: 2,111
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    Whatever you do, I wouldn't wash it for him! He sounds as if he's the sort that would then accuse you of making the scratches that have probably been there for some time!
  • Surely it is up to the contractor doing the driveway to ensure that no one is inconvenienced by the work in progress. Including dust on cars.

    Still wouldnt pay for car being hosed down.
  • Sounds like you've had an early warning about your new neighbour. Certainly, you shouldn't pander to him and pay to have his car cleaned, or he'll be over next week complaining that your house is creating a shadow over his, so can you move your house a bit to the left....

    I'd just take it as a signal you've got a potential problem neighbour and ignore him. Life's too short to get worried about people like that.
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