Unsure what to do here. Sorry if this is long - but I'm in a bit of a dilema.

Our neighbour drives a large van (Renault Master). My car was parked behind him and when I came out to drive to work there was a dent in the rear bumper. I managed to push this out, but there are scratches left along the bottom.

The parking space is large enough for a car, but his van fills the whole space with no room to spare. He always has trouble getting the van in because our street usually has a lot of cars. Its a private parking space so no one else parks there except him. My car was parked behind his at overnight. When he returned that night my wife saw him looking round the back of the van for something (she dismissed it at the time).

I came out to my car roughly 30 minutes after he went to work, no one had parked in that space during that time. I noticed the dent immediately as I walked towards the rear of the car

That night when I came home his wife had her car parked across a couple of spaces so when he returned she moved her car and he could easily park the van first time. Was someone guilty about parking badly and needed extra space?

The dent is exactly the right height for a step that he has on the rear of the van.

Obviously I didn't see it happen, and when I asked him about it he said it wasn't him. The facts above say it was (in my opinion).

So I ring his company and they deny it too and refuse to give me any insurance details. I was very polite during the call and said I would prefer to sort this out ammicably, but eventually said I would have to go to the police (and they still didn't budge).

So what do I do?

I could go to the police and say it was a failure to stop as I want those insurance details. Even if his insurance company say prove it, his firm should not deny passing them to me.

However because of the size of the van and the fact its a soft bumper its was probably pushed in, so there wouldn't have been any sound or much resistance. So he may genuinely think it wasn't him.

Now the difficult point is that, they don't appear to like us - or at the very least aren't your average friendly neighbours. Complaining about our young lad when he had colic as a baby, going into our garden to cut down plants that they said were too tall and blocking the light, sending one of our parcels back with not known at this address when it was incorrectly delivered etc.

We've tried to apologise and keep away, in fact we're moving soon (Summer), and part of the reason is that my wife fears any day that they will have a go at her in the street or something. So I don't think we've deliberately done anything to incur their wrath.

Do I take this further, I wouldn't be surprised if something happened because of it. I genuinely don't mind people admitting accidents and will not get upset because my car has a few scratches (they can be fixed), however I don't like to be bullied. The only way it would seem that they would accept it's problem is if I had been there or had it on film.

So should I give it up and park somewhere else - or go for it as I have nothing to lose?

 

If you are 100% sure it was him then pursue it further,dont let some half-baked ***** bully you and your family,just remember you live where you live because you chose too,sounds to me that your next door neighbour has had a free run in the past,i.e empty next door so park where-ever they want,dump garden rubbish over the fence etc!

I know because where myself and the family live we have a neighbour exactly the same,he dumped rubbish on our garden(grass cuttings/branches etc)and when we moved in he refused point-blank to park his car in front of his own house so we could get in the drive of OUR house
If you let this sort of thing ride,it will only get worse
take them down a peg or two matey

 

the guy sounds like a right arsehole and the trouble with arseholes is they don't give a toss about other people.
given what you've said about him cutting down plants in your garden i don't think he's gonna be too worried about keying your motor or bumping it a few more times if you make life difficult for him. so in this respect you do have something to lose.

as long as the damage isn't too bad, personally i'd live with it rather than worrying about what he'll do next to your car. flip side to that is **** him right off and set up a CCTV camera on your car and catch him in the act if he does attack your car

though TBH i'd leave it for the sake of a bit of peace in the remaining months you're there and before you move **** down his air vent

 

Hmm tough one.

IMHO, I would now have a chat to the bloke saying that "one of the neighbours" witnessed the accident, but you appreciate that

(a) accidents happen
(b) he [i]was[i/] also seen looking at the back of the van, but with the light being cr@p, probably thought nothing of it
(c) because his company are now being ar$eholes, say that there's no hard feelings directed to him "**** happens", and that you'll be dealing with the company. (Takes him directly out of the equation)

I would call your insurance company - insist that the details are divulged (even though, if you've got his registration number, get your ins company to do the donkey work - that's what they're there for!!!)

The whole neighbour thing is almost irrelevant, you can maneuver this so that the bloke is bypassed - he won't really give a monkey's as it's a works van. Sure he'll get a "talking to" from his boss, and even if he does have a go at you, you can quite easily say, "but you DID hit my car"...... fact. But point out, it won't cost him a penny

Either way, the damage has to be fixed. It's up to the insurance companies to sort it out. Not you.

Hope this helps

Dan

 

I had a someone drive into me outside a police station. Lots of CCTV coverage etc so thought I should be able to find out who did it. It turned out that it had happened before I even parked the car there, it was on the CCTV when I parked up. I just did not notice it. So can you ever be sure it happened when it did and that is was him? I know if he did it then he should be held accountable but best to do this when you can prove it, which I think you are struggling to do in this case.

 

unless he admits it or someone has seen it you ain't got a hope in hell mate... his company insurance won't pay out if there is no evidence....

Also remember without witnesses or physical evidence on his van that he MIGHT be telling the truth!!!!

 

Like many have said, this is difficult. The onus is on you to prive he did it and all the evidence is circumstantial. Going to the police could invoke more of his fury if he found out, and I doubt you'd be any further along. It sucks, but that's life. Neighbours cause more problems at home than anything else, so think yourself lucky you are moving. If he came into your garden then he was tresspassing (legally he can only cut down any plants that are on his side of the fence) - if you did nothing then, the police could think you are making it up.

Write it off as a warning and bad debt, stay away from the bloke and move when you can. Rememeber as well that when you move house, now you have to write down any issues with neighbours. Suppose this dragged on to then - you;d have to report it or your purchasers could legally sue you for the costs of them moving out if he continues to be a dick with them. Best thing is leave it. Sorry chap....

 

Where your car was damaged, is the space private, or part of the public road? If it's private, then the police wouldn't be interested & you're looking at a civil case against him. The onus on evidence would have to be down to you & I'd be looking for paint chips on his rear step thingy. If you can prove it, then consider civil proceedings, but only if you have definate evidence & your damages are over £2000. Anything less than that just isn't worth the expense & hassle of court. If it was on a public road, then consider claim from your insurance company only if the costs are more than your no claims losses.

About your garden plants thing, I'd certainly have a go for damages for that one. People cannot enter your property in order to damage anything. Get some legal advice on that one, you may even be able to involve the police as it could be a criminal case.

If you were staying for longer, I'd be looking at CCTV. I can confirm that it REALLY pisses off the neighbours!

 

Had a car (not a scoob) hit by a refuse truck a couple of years back while it was parked outside a friends house. The Council even kindly left part of the trucks mud flap behind.

Even with this evidence, they wouldn't admit it, because nobody saw it, they got away with it and my insurance company had to fork out for the body panels.

I'm afraid to say as no one saw the incident, its going to be very difficult and expensive to prove.

Neil.

 

If the van is parked at home every night, get evidence and then shop him to the inland revenue. If he's using it to get to work every day then that's a perk or company car mileage. Though he might be legit....

J.

 

Its a public road and he is the only one who parks there (it's their space). The dent was not in there the day before and he returns roughly 30 minutes after me and leaves 30 minutes earlier, it is possible someone managed to park in the mean time, or maybe manouvred and I didn't notice it.

The step is exactly the right height for the dent and I've got other pictures where they've parked within about 15 cm of my car.

But obviously I can't prove it without being there or have it on film.

But in the end I've decided to drop it. The wife works part time so is here a lot with the kids and she is likely to get the "feedback" more me.

 

If you're moving in the summer and you will be selling the house don't get into a dispute as this has to be declared as part of the sale and could/would put a buyer off.

If you are really sure it was him and don't want to put it down to experience just wait a month or so and chuck a brick through his window in the middle of the night!

 

Shopping him for the tax on his van would hit him where it hurts.....as he's done to yourself. Id do that if it works What type of company is it?

And yeah if that dont work then wait until you move out and go round chuck a brick thru his living room window lol