Money Moral Dilemma: Should I give my neighbour the cash I made from selling their railings?

WorcesterParkWoman

Tell them just as you've told us, and then say that you're thinking of donating it to... [it's the time of year for St Mungo, St Martin in the Fields, Salvation Army and Crisis - but other charities are available...] and what do they think?

They'll likely agree, and might express a preference for where to donate it. You could get their name on a lifeboat for that size of donation. 

bikaga

Depends on how much work you put into it all, what with demolishing, taking stuff away, putting the railings up for auction etc. If you were paying yourself minimum wage, how much would be left of the £100? They obviously already had the benefit of someone else doing all the work and even the clean-up ;-)

I'd probably get them a bottle of wine or a plant / decoration for the garden, but to me it really sounds like you got a fair reward for helping someone out, so don't feel guilty!

PennysIntoPounds

These are two separate issues- you said you'd demolish and dispose of their wall and railings as a favour, and did so, and thank you for being a lovely neighbour, wish there were more around!

The issue of whether to keep the money is entirely up to your own conscience but as you've asked for advice, clearly it doesn't sit right with you. No amount of money gets rid of a niggling feeling, so say to them 'Bit of a turn up for the books, couldn't fit the railings in, stuck them on a website, someone paid a hundred quid for them, half and half alright with you?!'

I'd be very surprised if they said they wanted the whole lot, I bet they'll be right chuffed at this little bonus (after all, they probably paid for the railings in the first place), and you'll have even nicer neighbourly relations

Isin2000

Presumably you are on quite good terms or you wouldn't have offered to demolish the wall. Why not put the £100 towards a meal for all at your local pub

Southendormargate

Of course not

CapeTown

So a few years ago when I was moving house, a friend asked if she could have the stone birdbath in my garden as I was leaving it. I gave it to her. No money was ever mentioned.  Several years later, she was moving too and asked me to help list the birdbath on ebay. She sold it for a tidy sum. I never got any of the money which still pisses me off to this day. Do the right thing. 

primrose_penguin

Do you and your neighbour help each other out normally, I ask because I am surprised he/she did not offer to give you a little money or something else for helping him/her out in this generous way. We were demolishing an old shed and our neighbour decided to help us out although we did not ask, and were managing okay, but afterwards I knew he would not take any money for helping us so I bought him and his wife a garden centre voucher as I know they love gardening, just as a thank you for their kindness. You obviously get on well with your neighbour or they would not have asked you to do this job for them. You could quite easily keep the £100 as you were asked to dispose of the wall/railings, it was your common sense to put them up for sale as they did not fit in your car. However I think it would be nice to be upfront and tell them what happened and offer to go 50/50 with the money made, I am sure you would feel better by offering to share, but I also hope your neighbour is gracious enough to tell you to keep it all for going above and beyond.

Groom

Tell them what you did and offer to split it. The chances are they will tell you to keep it as you saved them a lot of money. Even if they don't you are still £50 better off. 

Bonnypitlad

It’s a Daft Question !, of course you should keep the money. You went above and beyond a neighbourly gesture, contributed your labour, time and achieved better than the scrap metal value 

Ed264

Varying opinions here, and I have mixed views so I'm not going to suggest anything! Just make a decision based on what you think is the right thing to do, having read all these recommendations.