Bought a new bbq last week, removed the old gas bbq to our communal car park, out the way buy our bins, with the intention of tipping it soon as poss, however, it seems the wind caught it, miraculously missed my car and sent it crashing into the side of my very nice neighbours van today. I retrieved it from the middle of the car park before tipping it today. Whilst out my neighbour popped round to say another neighbour had seen this happen – all very nice though. I’ve yet to speak to him but looked at the van and it has a bit of a dent and a couple of scratches, but, what next? Offer to pay to sort? Speak to my house insurer? He speaks to his insurer?

Thoughts?

House insurance job I’d say. Contact them 1st and then go chat to your neighbour.

Check your house insurance for accidental damage cover, and also check for any insured perils on your cover.

It’s really your fault, not the neighbors, so I would be trying to claim myself first, and then if that doesn’t work out – pay his excess on his car insurance policy.

Do you live next door to Renton?

Suspect I will be speaking to him at some point this weekend, can’t avoid contact, but sounds like first step is contact my insurer first. I don’t really have the money over a couple hundred quid and his excess could be huge.

Whilst I didn’t do it, it wouldn’t have happened if I had tipped it before the storm.

Something similar happened to my car when the neighbour knocked a gate against it in the wind. Got the chips away guy to look at it, £60 to fix and the neighbour paid. Everyone happy.

I sent pictures to a couple of dent guys, they all said no problem to fix and a rough price. So maybe worth sending some pics off?

Your household liability would cover it if your neighbour could show you’d been negligent in leaving the BBQ out with the storm forecast. I’m a few years out of that game but I’d like to think they would pay out for the repairs on your behalf.

Now where’s that old thread ?

We had a 4m square gazebo picked up by the wind and flown across the camp site at Dusk Till Dawn one year, landed on someone’s Volvo, denting it. He was very matter of fact about it, shit happens etc and that was that. Remarkably chilled guy (or possibly a company car).