Told neighbor I pay for trampoline damage if I'm responsible, but am I responsible?

motorguy

facade wrote: »

Simply apologise again, say that you cannot afford to pay such a bill, and let his insurance pay up.

You really shouldn't have accepted responsibility in the first place though, as this may complicate things.

I would have thought you had a reasonable expectation that your trampoline would stay on your side of a six foot fence, so it is hardly your fault it ended up on his car.


Trouble is, you have to live next door for some while yet, maybe you could offer to pay £5 a week for the next 10 years.....

Sorry, but its wholly the O/Ps fault for not securing it.

Strider590

Sounds like the neighbour has taken it to a dealership, so £1000+ of that bill is profit for the dealership after calling in a local body repair specialist to actually do the work.

Rolandtheroadie

Tell them you don't have that sort of money lying around and give them any insurance details you have that may allow them to claim.
Or tell them to claim on their own insurance, and their insurance company can pursue you (or not )

Warwick_Hunt

Strider590 wrote: »

Sounds like the neighbour has taken it to a dealership, so £1000+ of that bill is profit for the dealership after calling in a local body repair specialist to actually do the work.

If you actually read the OP, you wouldn't have said that.

facade

motorguy wrote: »

Sorry, but its wholly the O/Ps fault for not securing it.

I'd have thought that depends on where the trampoline was, if the trampoline instructions warned that it needs securing in high winds (are there securing fixings? is it designed to quickly come apart and store inside?) , the history of wind damage in the area, whether there was a severe weather warning in place specifically mentioning high winds etc,....

It comes down to whether the OP was negligent, or not.

If a reasonable person would expect that trampoline to jump a 6 foot fence from where it was sited, then likely he is negligent. If it was round the back in reasonable shelter, likely not.

I mean, everybody knows that fence panels break in half and come out of the posts in a high wind, but how many people take them all out and put them in a garage where they can't blow around? Are they negligent if a panel blows out and hits someone?

Warwick_Hunt

facade wrote: »

I'd have thought that depends on where the trampoline was, if the trampoline instructions warned that it needs securing in high winds (are there securing fixings? is it designed to quickly come apart and store inside?) , the history of wind damage in the area, whether there was a severe weather warning in place specifically mentioning high winds etc,....

It comes down to whether the OP was negligent, or not.

If a reasonable person would expect that trampoline to jump a 6 foot fence from where it was sited, then likely he is negligent. If it was round the back in reasonable shelter, likely not.

I mean, everybody knows that fence panels break in half and come out of the posts in a high wind, but how many people take them all out and put them in a garage where they can't blow around? Are they negligent if a panel blows out and hits someone?

There was on Monday.

girlneedshelp

Thanks for all the replies. I'm a bit of a wreck dealing with this, so I appreciate it. The quote my neighbor gave was written up from a reputable auto body repair centre. Reading some of the conflicting advice, I'm not sure what to do. Several of you have given me a lot to think about...

girlneedshelp

Warwick_Hunt wrote: »

There was on Monday.

Yes, there was a weather warning on monday when this occured. The trampoline was not secured with ropes. I never in a million years thought it could climb over a six foot fence. I'm learning the hard way.

atolaas

girlneedshelp wrote: »

Yes, there was a weather warning on monday when this occured. The trampoline was not secured. I never in a million years thought it could climb over a six foot fence. My stupidity. I'm learning the hard way.

It's a damn expensive way to learn that lesson. Are you able to pay your neighbour all the money in one go?

girlneedshelp

atolaas wrote: »

It's a damn expensive way to learn that lesson. Are you able to pay your neighbour all the money in one go?

Yes, it is. I probably have a £1000 in my account, but if I'm responsible for the £2400, I'll have to find the money somewhere. If I'm liable, then I'm liable. What else is there to say. I just wasn't sure if I had to pay for new replacement parts and labour, as I would have thought that someone fixing and painting them could do it for far less than half. But if he is insisting on on new parts, it doesn't appear that I have the power to say no.