Money Moral Dilemma: Should my neighbour pay half the cost of replacing the saw they often borrow?

eao

1 Cutting up pallets; aren't they expensive; don't some firms buy used pallets?

2 Use a handsaw, it is good exercise but, of course lend the electric saw to your neighbour with the info that it needs repair.  Should he offer to pay half the repair cost, be generous and give it to him for him to pay fully for it; emphasise that it would be his and that you might borrow it from him occasionally.

pammieb

Depends on whether or not your neighbour shows you other sorts of kindness in kind that you haven't yet reciprocated. 

Good neighbourhood relationships involve a bit of give and take. However if your neighbour shows no sign on the 'saw front", you can always buy one and do the job when he's out.

If he broke it, or took liberties, he will know why. I did that to an old neighbour years ago, when they messed up my lawn mower without owning up.  They didn't stop speaking to me.🙂

silverwhistle

eao said:

1 Cutting up pallets; aren't they expensive; don't some firms buy used pallets?

Not necessarily expensive and some people are only too happy if you dispose of them. The building site next to our allotments gave us 20 or so small ones and they'd all disappeared by the end of the afternoon.

Virtually all pallets are now heated treated and perfectly safe to burn, but I once spent some time demolishing an old stone crate from somewhere like India to find at the end of the process an MB stamp on it. You can't burn that, nasty stuff and my time was wasted.

As for getting a new saw, I'd use a hand saw or reciprocating saw for a bit before dashing out to buy. When they ask don't say the saw broke but use the term 'worn out'...

mowest1962

Tell him it's broken. And suggest he buys a new one. Then you can borrow it off him. He might offer to ho 50/50

GDB2222

I would not want to go halves with the OP. After all, he has a track record of breaking saws.

primrose_penguin

Now it is the warmer weather and you probably do not need kindling at the moment, why don't you delay buying a new one for a couple of months or so, then if he asks to borrow it you can genuinely say it no longer works, that may encourage him to buy his own. Then later on when you buy yours you will each have your own. Or you could ask him how he feels about you buying a saw together so you can both share it, although I can see that causing problems. Sharing tools can be difficult especially when it comes to them either not being returned or breaking down leaving the owner with the bill.

TheRedHerring

Next time the neighbour asks to borrow the saw, explain that you had to buy a new one and that you would therefore like a contribution towards this as you both had equal use of the old saw.
OR
You could meet to ask him for a contribution towards the new saw in view of the above, if he says no then suggest he buys a new saw and let you borrow it.  This may make him consider the first suggestion is fare

akira181

You let him borrow it free of charge, you can't bill him now that it's broken.  If you borrow something from a friend/neighbour, do you expect a bill for wear and tear out of the blue?

If you really want to make it a thing, tell him it's broken and ask if he wants to go 50:50 on a new one.  Although there's then the problem of who gets to keep it. If I go 50:50 on something, ideally I'd want access to it when I need it, not when you're available to loan it to me it.

If it's relatively new and broke that quickly, it's a cheap saw and not expensive to replace, he shouldn't have any complaints. If it's an expensive saw he doesn't want to go 50:50, you can get it repaired and stop loaning it to him at the risk of being petty. 

Also, saving a fortune on kindling?  Do you not burn logs?  3 net bags of kindling from my log supplier was comfortably enough for me for the entire winter and then some, doing near daily burns. At £4 a bag, it's hardly worth the time cutting down pallets, nevermind stressing with a neighbour over a saw.

£12 to £16 a year is hardly a fortune. It would take at least 5 years to recoup the cost of a cheap saw, electricity, and blades alone, assuming you actually replaced the blades. If you didn't, know you know why it's broken...

Andyjflet

ButterCheese said:

I would say to him "hey, fancy going halfs on a new saw because mine's broken,  We've both worn it out".  See what he (or she) says.  If they don't fancy going halves on a new one then I would politely not lend it to them anymore.  You can offer to tell them where you got yours of they keep asking.

exactly this, nicely worded!

mira77

I'm at a loss as to why some posters are considering the value of the saw. whether it cost £5 or £105 has nothing to do with it. Suggesting not falling out over x pounds is irrelevant and misguided. Any falling out would be soley due to the neighbours selfish attitude.
maybe to OP should buy his neighbour a £5 hand saw (to be neighbourly) and say I bought you a present so you don't have to bother asking for a saw.