Ugh kids damaged car outside the house - parents say take me to court...

[Semple]

And yet had their Dog ripped off your wing mirror you probabally would have had a good case. Police-worthy even.

Nuts that people have a legal responsibility to keep Dogs under control in public but not Children!

This really.

What's honestly stopping kids from deliberately vandalising cars and then just saying it was an accident and hiding behind the fact that they're a child and unlikely to be prosecuted etc.

 

[NVP]

Maybe it was one of the other Barts, sir?

 

[MassiveJim]

Get a really old high roof transit van that looks terrible and park it outside his house for 18 months

 

[Hyburnate]

Get a really old high roof transit van that looks terrible and park it outside his house for 18 months

Just keep it taxed and MOT'd, or better yet if they have a driveway, stick it on SORN

 

[The Running Man]

Yes, you can sue anyone under the age of 18, yet they won't be accountable for the debts till they are over 18.

MoneyClaim Online is a Online Small Claims court, use it fairly often in my line of work, especially in close proximity to Carillion going bust and almost taking other companies with it.

I digress, start a moneyclaim online, it's like £50, name the child/minor as the defendant as follows "<Childs_Name>, a child by <Parents_Name> their litigation friend"

Litigation Friend basically means, as a child can't make decisions themselves, their parent shall, https://www.gov.uk/litigation-friend

As part of MoneyClaim online, you may enter mediation, where you can agree a sum, if not it goes to a hearing.

Yeah it's a tiny amount of effort, but you can probably get it all logged with a witness statement and photos of the damage and a quote for repair in about 30 minutes.

He sounds like scum so I'd do it personally.

Sounds like a plan. As I do t know them how does one get their names ?

 

[200sols]

It’ll just be your word against theirs. You won’t win.

 

[Havana_UK]

In all seriousness, it sounds like an accident, it was a kid who hurt themselves falling off a scooter and unfortunately damaged your car in the process. Accidents happen, and it's one reason you have insurance, and a risk you run owning a car and parking it on the road.

I'd get a quote to get it put right, and if it's too much put it through your insurance. **** happens, but you gotta move on. You will get nowhere trying to get the parents to pay I'm afraid.

 

[wesimmo]

Although the rational side of me agrees that it's not worth the hassle of pursuing it, I too had the same thing, neighbours friend reversed into our car and damaged the fog light surround.

As it's an RS body kit it costs £200 plus painting and I was furious, especially when the neighbour refused to give me the friends details, even when the police went round.

The police actually knew who it was and where the car lived but as I couldn't tell them who it was they couldn't do anything due to data protection or some rubbish.

I'm biding my time, it's been a couple of years, but one day....

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Put a brick through his window in the middle of the night.

Escalation is the only option.

What if he and neighbours have CCTV? now you have lost your job and likely your home because of a scuff on a car.

 

[Havana_UK]

Although the rational side of me agrees that it's not worth the hassle of pursuing it, I too had the same thing, neighbours friend reversed into our car and damaged the fog light surround.

As it's an RS body kit it costs £200 plus painting and I was furious, especially when the neighbour refused to give me the friends details, even when the police went round.

The police actually knew who it was and where the car lived but as I couldn't tell them who it was they couldn't do anything due to data protection or some rubbish.

I'm biding my time, it's been a couple of years, but one day....

That's quite different though. In that situation you have two (presumably) insured parties.

Don't get me wrong, in the OP's case I'd too be rightly annoyed, but these things happen. Move on.

 

[Rids]

What if he and neighbours have CCTV? now you have lost your job and likely your home because of a scuff on a car.

It was a post in jest.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Although the rational side of me agrees that it's not worth the hassle of pursuing it, I too had the same thing, neighbours friend reversed into our car and damaged the fog light surround.

As it's an RS body kit it costs £200 plus painting and I was furious, especially when the neighbour refused to give me the friends details, even when the police went round.

The police actually knew who it was and where the car lived but as I couldn't tell them who it was they couldn't do anything due to data protection or some rubbish.

I'm biding my time, it's been a couple of years, but one day....

whoa re you going to enact this revenge on if you don't know who it was or where they live?

 

[Hyburnate]

Sounds like a plan. As I do t know them how does one get their names ?

Electoral Roll, or perhaps https://t2a.io/products/people/see-who-lives-at-an-address

Seems to work for neighbours of mine

e; I believe that the above searches the public list, but you can invest a small amount of time and contact your council and view the electoral register, you'll probably have to forage around at your library, but handily, it's listed by address not name so you'll easily find them providing their registered.

If not, good old fashion neighbours should know

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Electoral Roll, or perhaps https://t2a.io/products/people/see-who-lives-at-an-address

Seems to work for neighbours of mine

e; I believe that the above searches the public list, but you can invest a small amount of time and contact your council and view the electoral register, you'll probably have to forage around at your library, but handily, it's listed by address not name so you'll easily find them providing their registered.

If not, good old fashion neighbours should know

didn't realise 8 year olds can vote.

also asking neighbors for the name of an 8 year old won't cause any suspicions at all.

 

[weathmatth]

How bad was the damage? I remember when i first learnt to ride a bike, i ended up riding straight into my neighbors car at quite a speed and didn't mark it. Luckily my neighbors saw the funny side and just laughed at me whilst i was rolling on the floor crying lol.

 

[Hyburnate]

didn't realise 8 year olds can vote.

also asking neighbors for the name of an 8 year old won't cause any suspicions at all.

You're smart, read the preceding posts.

I mentioned starting a small claims case, purely to get to mediation in the hope that the parent might see sense and at least stump up something.

You can sue someone under 18, you just need their parents name.

So I recommended checking the house address to see who is registered there, i.e their parents name.

Read what you quote and the preceding chain

 

[Webster]

Stand and bang.

 

[The Running Man]

Electoral Roll, or perhaps https://t2a.io/products/people/see-who-lives-at-an-address

Seems to work for neighbours of mine

e; I believe that the above searches the public list, but you can invest a small amount of time and contact your council and view the electoral register, you'll probably have to forage around at your library, but handily, it's listed by address not name so you'll easily find them providing their registered.

If not, good old fashion neighbours should know

Says I've exceeded my number of uses although I only tried to use it once.

 

[Mr Joshua]

Bide your time and I hear nitromors isn't good for paintwork.

 

[Burnsy2023]

It’ll just be your word against theirs. You won’t win.

Why not? Civil claims are judged on the balance of probability, looks like an eye witness would be reasonable odds of having a ruling in the OPs favour.