Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay for the window and gutter cleaning I wasn't told about?

Wisereply

Best to say. I will arrange it and pay for it next time. This way you are taking back power and control.
A good time of year for gutter maintenance is December when autumn leaves have fallen. Perhaps taking the opportunity to hang Christmas lights. Asking window cleaner to remove them in the new year.
we do not have a down pipe and if we don’t have the neighbours gutter cleaned out our rainwater has nowhere to go, so for years we paid for both of our gutters to be cleaned out always with the neighbours consent. They never once offered to pay anything or give a tip to the man who did the job in the biting cold weather and this was Christmas time. One day the lights broke and we had reduced finances and we do not arrange or pay anymore. What will be will be with our joint rainwater.

stac1990

When your neighbour told you that was the point to say I don't want mine doing or what cost is involved. As you didn't say anything at that point I would sort of take that as you agreed to have them done, however, it seems odd they asked the cleaner for yours to be done as well, was there a reason was yours leaking over into their boundary? I would pay this time however say thanks for arranging that but next time they are to consult you prior to agreeing with the workmen about work on your property. I am also surprised the cleaner did it without speaking to you since it's your property he was entering.

EssexExile

Catsacor said:

Looking at the postings, i don't think i've ever seen a thread whereby most posters have such few post counts to their name - and where their username is a very similar style - and where the timings of them are so close together 🙄
Almost like the creator of the thread has created accounts.

Isn't that the point of these things, to get more new people to join the forum? It even says " If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply." at the bottom.

[Deleted User]

My point was more about the quirkiness of those postings.

12ellie12

Gosh, I'm surprised how quickly posters go to assuming the worst. It sounds like a miscommunication to me...eg they spoke to your partner who forgot to mention, you had a fleeting conversation about it one time which stuck with them more, maybe because it's something that worries them more, they have always done this and assumed it would continue. Agree your neighbour should have checked in before arranging, but don't assume malicious intent. Life is much easier with good neighbours and it sounds like this one looks after their property and yours in this case, which is not something all do. Worth a civil, calm conversation to say you appreciate the preemptive work done for winter and you can pay this time but if any joint work is needed in future, you need more notice and involvement. If, once you've tried this approach and discover more nefarious intent, then you can escalate...but carefully as you still live there. Good luck

primrose_penguin

I agree with most of the others comments on here, he should have consulted you first, but now it is done and with the winter coming I would pay my share, however tell your neighbour that in future he needs to speak to you first, before making any arrangements to have anything done on your property, otherwise you will not be paying.

Diana2014

The contractor presumably agreed a price with your neighbour and will have required them to pay that price. If (see below) anyone can legitimately ask you to contribute to the cost, it's your neighbour - not the contractor. Check what price the neighbour agreed and whether they've paid that price in full.
The risk is that the contractor has already been paid by the neighbour and is trying to get paid twice (or one and a half times) the price for the job, by approaching you direct for a so-called "contribution". Don't pay him anything until you know all the facts.
(Whether the neighbour should have commissioned work on your property as well as theirs is a separate issue. I think it's extremely rude (not to mention not legal) for them to have purported to act on your behalf and commit you to paying for what they've agreed to have done, without consulting you. (After all, you might have made your own arrangements for the work to be done on your own home or intended to do it yourself.)

subjecttocontract

I'd just say no.....I'm not paying, I don't want anyone touching my property and I'll organise it myself in my own time.
Lots of people seem to find it difficult to say the 'no' word these days.