Who's at fault if a garage door hits a car you didn't know was infront of it?

GiveItAWiggle

This hasn't happened to me. I'm just curious to find out who would be at fault.

As I have just moved into a rented house and my friend has said a random car sometimes parks infront of our garage door. What would happen if I didn't realise that a car was there and opened the garage door to get my car out and hit the car?

Wig

If the car was parked on the highway then it would be your fault. Fit some sort of peep hole in the door.

If the car was parked on your land and there was a notice on the garage to say no parking, no liability for damage to your car whilst parked on this land. It would probably still be your liability but easier to fob them off.

arcon5

Isn't this a contravention to the highway code to be blocking access to a public highway

antrobus

GiveItAWiggle wrote: »

This hasn't happened to me. I'm just curious to find out who would be at fault.

As I have just moved into a rented house and my friend has said a random car sometimes parks infront of our garage door. What would happen if I didn't realise that a car was there and opened the garage door to get my car out and hit the car?

As a tenant I'd take out an appropriate insurance policy to cover my household contents and my liabilities as a tenant. So if I did happen to open the garage door and hit some idiot who'd parked in front of it, I could just leave the insurance company to deal with it.

Wig

And yes, if the car blocks your vehicles egress to the highway you can call the police to get him towed away/ticketed

If the car blocks your access to the garage when you come home and there is no vehicle inside the garage then the police can do nothing.

Sgt_Pepper_2

Wig wrote: »

And yes, if the car blocks your vehicles egress to the highway you can call the police to get him towed away/ticketed

If the car blocks your access to the garage when you come home and there is no vehicle inside the garage then the police can do nothing.

Not if the vehicle is on private property.

Flyboy152

GiveItAWiggle wrote: »

This hasn't happened to me. I'm just curious to find out who would be at fault.

As I have just moved into a rented house and my friend has said a random car sometimes parks infront of our garage door. What would happen if I didn't realise that a car was there and opened the garage door to get my car out and hit the car?

Not planning to exact some sort of revenge are you?

Flyboy152

Wig wrote: »

And yes, if the car blocks your vehicles egress to the highway you can call the police to get him towed away/ticketed

If the car blocks your access to the garage when you come home and there is no vehicle inside the garage then the police can do nothing.

Not that the police will do anything about the former.

prowla

A car parked illegally or not doesn't give you the right to damage it, either deliberately or recklessly.

anotherbaldrick

It would not be considered damage if you were to put out some seed and tit bits for the birds and the roof of said object would be a very convenient spot for the wild life to feed. Save damaging your garage doors.

arcon5

I'm taking from the op that he opens the garage from the inside, so the risk of hitting on object there is great.

You do need to take care op, because it may not be a car - it could be a person and cause injury.

But I understand your frustration - perhaps a 'no parking' sign would suffice?