Child accidentally scratched neighbours car?

Question

My child was riding his bike outside and got knocked off balance and accidentally scratched a neighbours car making 3 tiny marks on the petrol cap cover. My son has apologised etc. Please can someone advise me of what my legal obligation is in this matter, as the neighbour is demanding I pay for the repair. Thanks.

Answer 1

Jees

Forget they have ever been kids don't they!

You could do it throught he insurance but i think the guy is a pure k**b if he makes you do this - buy him a scratch pen from Halfords & tell him to be lonely in his old age!

Edit - thumb me down all you want you are all just so used to milking every little free thing you can get - a scratch pen will repair the 3 tiny scratch marks on the car - but i suppose you guys would want a full respray at a body shop - GO CLAIM WHIPLASH MILKERS!

Lets put it this way if it was my car & a little boy had an accident if he appologised i would let it slip & i have a very expensive car(hate me for it!) Its called being a child accidens happen.................

I'll let all you trolls get back to filling your claim forms in now xx

Answer 2

Tell the neighbour that you will pay to have the local 'Chips Away' guy come to your place and do the job. Take a look at

http://www.chipsawayrepairs.com/contact_...

they warranty the repair for two years, will cost you a load less than a major dealer and if the guy is reasonable then he can have no argumentagainst it. He will get his car back quicker than any other method too.

I have never had to use them personally but know of a couple of people who have and they are really happy with the job that was done.

Answer 3

if you can hang your finger nail in the scratch, then the fuel cap cover will need to be sanded and painted to match, this shouldn't cost you a whole lot, cost of body repair man to sand down and repaint and clear coat. the most expensive will be the car paint to match the car. However if you can mot hang your fingernail in the scratch, then you should be able to have it buffed out, which would be much less then having it painted. make him take it to 3 body shops for estimates. also take pictures of scratched area, then take this to different body shop and as about how much it would cost to repair the damage, round about estimate. then you will know if he is trying to rip you off. and all i can say is fix it. Question was the care on public property or private property? if on public property, depending on law for your state when an accident happens on public property, like parking lot, each person is responsible for their own repairs. check on this. Hope I Helped.

Answer 4

forget the legal obligation. they are your neighbours.

if you want to get on with them, just accept what your child did and pay up.

my son threw a stone over the wall into next doors garden and smashed the window on their 4x4. it cost me £30 that i didnt have, but i know it was our fault and took responsibility.

Answer 5

Pay for it, accidents happen and it's the best way to say you're sorry.

Answer 6

get our your checkbook.

Answer 7

If the scratches cannot be felt, you could try asking you neighbour it they minded if you tried using T-Cut or a similar product on it. If it works you've saved the day, if not, then you are not any worse off than before - other than the £7 you spent on the T-Cut. I notice from their webpage they have a "NEW T-cut Color Fast Scratch Remover" out.

Answer 8

The parent is responsible for the children's damage

As simple as that.

Good Luck..

Answer 9

well i dont think you have one .. your child is too young to pay up so you will have to pay for it

sorry i know its annoying but its the only thing you can do

Answer 10

pay for the repair, its your fault no matter how it happened. You would expect the same courtesy wouldnt you?

Answer 11

my son done the exact same thing and i did pay for the damage.  so i would say just grin and bear it and pay up.

Answer 12

Pay for the repair. There shouldn't be any argument over this, the neighbour shouldn't need to "demand" payment, you should have offered. It'll cost you about £150.

Answer 13

Your household insurance, if you have it, will  cover this type of damage.

Answer 14

The only thing I would say is was the car parked on the pavement?  If it was, then your neighbour was parked illegally and no you should not pay for the damage.  Selfish drivers who park on pavements are asking for trouble.  Cars should be parked on the road or on a driveway, NOT on pavements.

Answer 15

Just pay the damages, ur son done it allthough it was an accident and hes appoligised i would want it paying for if this happened to my car! Why should they pay out the pocket when it wasn't there fault!

Answer 16

Check your home insurance policy you may be covered. If you don't have insurance then you should cough up.

Answer 17

if is was my left-side neighbour i would repair..... if it was the rightside neighbour i would tell them to f**k off..

their kid stood and chucked stones at my mates 3day old car which was £27,000. chipped the bonnet... he was warned twice to stop. my mate went nextdoor to speak to the neighbour who shrugged his shoulders and said...... no ma kid, no ma problem. Next day i catch the kid chucking stones at my 3 month old baby..... neighbour again was helpful as always and basically told me to f**k off...... Next day a ball had been kicked over the garden fence which i promptly knifed and chucked back over. The 4foot single panel fence is now a 12foot double panel fence which cant be seen through - it fell over one windy night apparently (i was knackered) - and was prompted replaced..... sorted

For some reason they dont talk to me now. I know what Im doing is petty and not helping the situation..... but it gives me something to do in the evenings.

what was the question again???? ah yeah - just fix it. accidents happen.

Answer 18

pay for it why should the owner of the car pay for something your child done, however you say he was knocked off balance by what? is it someone elses fault if so explain this to the car owner, you don't say how old your son is but there is now a law called parental responsibility so if it his fault you are responsible, i always told my children to stay away from parked cars however if they damaged one i would pay up and i would expect the same if one of my vehicles got damaged, if its only light scratches try colour coded polish if deeper call out  "chips away" or similar h**l of a lot cheaper than a garage

Answer 19

I think you should pay.To people who say ask him to claim on his insurance thats mad why should he loose no claims and his insurance go up though no fault of his own.

Answer 20

personally if my car was scratched by someone i would want them to pay for it. accident or not - the cars still scratched.

your neighbours - u dnt want it ending up in ww3

Answer 21

That's what you do is pay for the repairs.

Answer 22

Well you should pay for it, but it does make you wonder if honesty is the best policy....or if it costs too much, ask him to claim on his insurance and you will pay the excess.....If its a child involved then there is no legal obligation to pay anything, so you could point that out, but say you are willing to make some contribution.

Answer 23

Even thought it was an accident, I think you should still pay for the damages. It's a common courtesy because your child did it and you are responsible for your child and his actions.

Answer 24

You have admitted that your child caused the damage so legally and morally the right thing to do is pay for the repair. Don't let the neighbour take advantage though. Photograph the alleged damage and insist the neighbour gets three written quotes. If the damage is a trivial as it sounds maybe it could be polished out. Check your household insurance you may be covered.

Answer 25

jeez thats a tough 1!!

i sugges that u shud just pay for the repair!!