Colleague's home flooded - responsible for neighbour's costs?

Idiophreak

DirectDebacle wrote: »

A decent neighbour would want to put matters right asap if they had caused damage to a neighbours property, albeit unintentionally.

Would they?

So if an appliance in your house decided to burst into flames and burn down your house *and* your neighbour's, you'd be happy to pay out an unlimited amount to "put matters right", right?

I mean, that's what a decent neighbour would do, right?

Couple of hundred thousand for a rebuilt, maybe 50k of contents...what a decent neighbour you are!

Personally, my washing machine sprung a leak and caused water marks on the ceiling of the flat downstairs - so I gave them the cost of getting it checked out and repainted - because it was the "neighbourly thing" to do - but that was < £100. It would have been a very different story if £7k was involved...

Really, this will just go down as an expensive life lesson for OP's colleague's neighbour. People have insurance for a reason...accidents happen.

cyclonebri1

Idiophreak wrote: »

Really, this will just go down as an expensive life lesson for OP's colleague's neighbour. People have insurance for a reason...accidents happen.

:T:T:T exactly, and I bet the real expense is nothing like the £7k was it?, that was claimed.

You live and learn as I did, the neighbour needs too.

missesther

ic wrote: »

There's no legal obligation to have buildings insurance at all - its just mortgage lenders have it as a condition of the mortgage that you must have buildings insurance. Its also pretty foolish not to insure - there's too much at stake!

Sorry for resurrecting this thread but the neighbour should check their contract when buying their house. I have buildings insurance even though I don't have a mortgage as in my contract terms that I signed off when buying my house I agreed to have buildings insurance. I don't know legally where I'd stand if I didn't and something happened and it may just apply to terraced houses like mine but the neighbour may not be breaking the law but may be breaking the terms of their contract and maybe there are repercussions there? Am I reaching??