Property damage from neighbors roofers - what is the roofer's rsponsibility?

[trader4]

"Right, where can you buy a 250$ Resin birdbath, post a link please, I bought 2 lounge chairs and 6 regular Resin chairs for 60 dollars last month. Or is it gold plated. Id want to smash it to after paying 250. No wonder he was mad you probably started it with your 250$ BS. "

I agree with you. I can't believe everyone is cheering the OP on. The contractor was likely wrong for allowing this to happen, but we've only heard one side of the story. And from what I've heard, the contractor made a very reasonable offer. The bird bath was damaged, not destroyed. Yet, the contractor offered the full $250 that the homeowner demanded to replace it, on the spot. What the hell does this person want?

If you deal with the contractor's insurance company or sue in court, you will only get the DEPRECIATED value of the birdbath. And unless the birdbath is brand new, that sure isn't $250. If it's 3 years old, you'd probably get $150. This is like totalling a 3 year old car. You aren't awarded the original cost of the car, only it's value just before the damage to put you back in the position you were in before the damage. And a court isn't going to give you the present value of the property and let you keep the damaged property too. That becomes the property of the defendant. If you want to keep the damaged property, then your award will be less.

The OP also apparently sat around and watched roofing debris be tossed in their yard for some time, instead of simply walking over to talk to the neighbor and/or contractor. I have a hard time taking the word of someone who not only does this, but then asks for full replacement cost of something with some scratchs or chips, is offered it on the spot, but then refuses and wants exactly what? I'd still like to know the answer to that question!

[Carpenter]

Are you talking about the people mentioned in the OP? Or in general? Or of your personal experience? The last two are off topic, you know?

Like the shady characters in your story? I mean Kahuna and its cousins...

Puzo discovered that long before you did, but here we are talking of a couple of nice ladies that had their feathers ruffled by a contractor. I doubt they would want to put a contract on the man, capisc?

Besides you are getting on the war path only reading a story that just doesn't seem convincing. According to the OP tale the man offered to pay the full value claimed for the birdbath and they refused. Which leaves me scratching my head wondering:" What else do they want?"

[Pat]

They probably bought it for $25 on the bargain table and now want to screw him out of $250 plus keep the bird bath which has only superficial damage.

[Guess Who]

Agreed. We only one side story from the OP. I can understand it if the contractor scratched their expensive living room furniture. But for an outside birdbath? OP complained the bad attitude of the contractor. But did OP talked to him nicely to begin with?

There was a news story a while ago that an old couple complained about bad pratice in the insurance industry. The couple had been with the insurance company for many years and the company droped them withour valid reason. I really sympathized with the elders, until read that the reporter talked to the company. Turned out that the couple made repeated insurance complains of $300 or so for storen money. The couple filed many police reports claiming that they lost their purses with cash in it on their porch, deck etc.

You never really know who is telling the truth.

[m Ransley]

It probably wasnt even her bird bath, it was the neighbors. She just saw her free utility payment and bottle of Gin.

[Norminn]

Hope I didn't start a free-for-all, as the suggestion was not that the OP was lying. Just wondering, from experience, whether someone jumped to conclusion. My birdbath was about $30, and I sure couldn't tell anyone without checking whether it is chipped, cracked, etc. Riding mowers will chip concrete, I know. It is difficult to imagine stuff coming off a roof that would make a noticeable new chip and scratches. unless they were tossing concrete tiles.

[m Ransley]

She said painted Resin. Resin is the hardest thing I have heard to paint and have it stick, Krylon makes a spray for it. I was at Sherwin Williams the other day asking about painting my Resin funiture since I dont want it white. I asked the salesman what product he had and Krylon was his only suggestion, above their commercial line and the 40$ exterior that sticks to anything. So I dought the story, as Ive never seen commercialy painted Resin or a 250 $ Resin birdbath, Marble yes, Resin No, Id say a Troll.