Skip flattened our dry stone wall

thebman

Hi all,

Advice needed please: We've just returned from holiday to find the dry stone wall that separates our front drive from a small car park has been flattened, the extent of the damage runs from our section across to our next door neighbours, about four metres long.

Other neighbours have said they knew a skip was being removed from the small car park the same day and roughly time it happened, but nobody saw details of the driver or company. A shop that backs onto the car park is currently in the process of changing to a new shop.

As far as we know the wall is mine and my neighbours responsibility not the councils, although I can't find confirmation in my deeds.

What avenue would you recommend going down? Track down the skip company and try and claim on their insurance? Claim on my building insurance? Just take the hit and pay for replacement with my neighbour? Police?!

I'm at a loss.

Any help appreeciated.

Thanks

huckster

1) establish who owns the wall

2) if you and/or your neighbour owns the wall, then find out the details of the skip company and make a report to Police. If you damage property owned by someone else in a vehicle, you are supposed to provide Insurance details. The skip company might deny any responsibility, hoping there is no proof.

Home Buildings Insurance will cover wall, if there is evidence of it being damaged by collision and not just the wall falling down. Any contractor you get out to quote for the wall, needs to confirm that the wall has been subject to collision damage, without any signs of the wall being subject to natural failure or lack of maintenance. There have been cases of Insurers refusing to pay out for these walls because they say that the walls have been subject to weathering over a long period and a lack of maintenance causing the wall to collapse.