advice please

I agree exdancer, I’m sure poster will feel reassured after a chat with them.
Our basic Halifax insurance coves outdoor damages to £500, if I remember correctly.

So many people have advised you to ring your insurance company - why on earth are you ignoring their advice?

Because this happened to us once before I used a brush this time. I carefully put notices up in the car Park where the end of my garden backs on to and asked for people to park in the road just from 11am to 3pm. They refused so I haven't bothered painting it now. I cant see it from my house I only see it if there is a space for me to park which isn't often.

Not too late to take more photos if work is still needed concerning your neighbours property following H decorating.
Professional assistance may be needed to remove the paint or replace what cannot be cleaned and this was accidental so look at your home insurance or speak to your insurers to see what you are covered for concerning neighbours.

It sounds like you are doing all you can and have offered to try to help get things sorted. Instead of looking at this negatively, you can use this opportunity to become more friendly. After all, they have obviously not been unreasonable, nor have you so you know that they are probably nice people.

My ex husband once built a gigantic bonfire next to our boundary fence (despite my protestations) balanced a great fibreglass folding caravan on top, lit it using petrol and was then surprised when the fence caught fire. To start with he wouldn't let me call the fire service so he and his brother were running up and down the garden to with buckets of water which had no effect. When the fire service came out, along with all the neighbours who wanted to know what was happening, he yelled and swore at them to go build their own bonfire if they wanted to watch one. I was mortified but even more so when the neighbour came round and told us all their tools which were next to the fence, including the lawnmower and strimmer, had melted. They were good Christian people but it didn't stop them wanting their tools replaced within 24 hours
On the up side, I met my current husband (although I didn't know it at the time) who was one of the fire fighters!

Being a negative soul, - just a word of caution, - ask to see the receipt for the cushion set if you are contemplating compensation.

As long as she hasn’t come back wouldn’t worry too much maybe you’ll lucky and have a good neighbour ??

Sorry to hear of your problem but lovely to hear you are committed to getting this sorted. Wish more neighbours were like you.

You should look to make 'reasonable repair' before rushing to provide an 'old for new' solution. I imagine this is what an insurance company would do. Maybe replacement cushion covers, if not then cushions. Is the gazebo covering white? Maybe try bleaching it. You should be able to get the frame cleaned (check whether the fence paint water based or oil based so use a suitable cleaning agent).

You say the set was 'brand new' but this is no longer available? How old really? This is garden furniture and will quickly be stained from the elements so perhaps keep things in perspective. Your neighbour is already looking to sort things out without demanding a new set so seems reasonable.

I hope you and your neighbours can reach a happy, sensible conclusion.

It was an accident. I’m sure you’ll do what you can to put it right. My neighbour good friend said that my OH had speckled her caravan with fence paint. I couldn’t see where but then ,my eyesight is not good. What made me doubt her was the fact that he took the panels out and painted them well away from the caravan. When I told her this I think she realised that it was her OH who had done it from their side and the matter was closed. ( No apology though). Hope it’s all resolved amicably.

Who spends £500 on cushions???????

I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t ask for their damaged set, if you pay for a new one for them. One thing I would make sure I did, is to order and pay for the furniture myself. If you give them money, they may just keep the spoilt one, in the hope time and washing will make it look better, and then spend your money on something else.

Either way, it’s a mistake, we all make them. You’re doing exactly the right thing.

Please, please check out your insurances ASAP. Often you need to claim before any repair work, reimbursement etc. Once your claim is registered, if appropriate, you can always choose to drop the claim.
Neither of you is stupid or thoughtless. You are simply two, clearly kind and genuine people and one of you has made a mistake.
Everybody makes mistakes and some are far far more worrying than your husband’s. He’ll learn and never do that again.
They’ll be reimbursed and get over it!
I know it’s hard not to stress and worry but what’s done is done.
All you can do is compensate and maybe buy a little gift and card.
Maybe in years to come, you’ll be laughing with your neighbours over this little incident.
You do sound like a lovely couple!

Tempting to escalate......but no. Although a silent campaign of non cooperation is always a peach! Accept no parcels etc keep their overhanging vegetation cropped with repatriation of offending boughs just to keep it all legal like... Face to face stonewalling takes practice but reaps rich rewards...the there's letting everyone know what occured.....

Frogs

I hope you got this sorted and can relax now.
These labour saving devices seem to cause even more work. Our neighbour recently power hosed his drive - after he’d finished we had to wash down our garage door, front door, front window and the car as it had spattered a fine coating of mud over the lot.
The neighbour seemed completely oblivious to the mess that he’d created so I didn’t say anything but at least it was easily washed off ?

I’d have asked the neighbour to come and power wash my doors and windows, and finish them off with a wiper blade. He might be more careful next time!

I hope you got this sorted and can relax now.
These labour saving devices seem to cause even more work. Our neighbour recently power hosed his drive - after he’d finished we had to wash down our garage door, front door, front window and the car as it had spattered a fine coating of mud over the lot.
The neighbour seemed completely oblivious to the mess that he’d created so I didn’t say anything but at least it was easily washed off ?

Your personal liability insurance should cover you.

It's a mistake and you have very kindly offered to sort it out for them, others would not of bothered. Please don't let it stress you too much, although easy to say as I would probably be the same as you, but go out and sit in your garden and don't stay indoors. I'd put your poor hubby's spray gun in the bin, I'm sure he's mortified. Hope it gets sorted soon for you.

You are obviously lovely people with a real conscience- rare these days. Nothing and no one is perfect - stop worrying- accidentally damaged stuff can either be repaired - do you watch the Repair Shop? - or replaced. Yes it might cost a bit - so be it - lesson learned .

Happened to me too. I was really upset as it completely destroyed several of my rows of vegetables. My neighbour, then in her late 80s, wouldn’t hear a word against her workman and although I gave him a piece of my mind there is no way I could be compensated for loss of two months hard work raising my plants. It was annoying as he was taking advantage of my neighbour and was a nasty piece of work and I was glad when he eventually went to prison after assaulting a policeman, though sorry for the policeman.

I agree with geekeese that her husband was a bit thoughtless when he decided to paint with a sprayer that obviously it would ‘ splash ‘everywhere. I have a metal gate that I spray paint periodically, but I always make extra sure that there is nothing surrounding that be damaged by splashes of stray paint. I’m also surprised how calm the neighbour is as I’d have been livid .
Washing the cushions ect wouldn’t make you feel the same about your belongings anymore , so I think the only answer is to offer to buy them another set as to whatever they choose , because I know that’s what I would want . Expensive lesson learned .

Please don’t stress, you sound like lovely people, it was a bit silly of your husband, but it was a genuine mistake xx Don’t stress x

I had this happen to me, I was out when neighbour was painting fence, ended up all over my front door and kitchen window, had to get specialist window cleaner to remove it and no the neighbour did not offer anything!

We had that happen to us a few years ago when our neighbour was going his fence. I didn’t want to cause a fuss but it ruined our patio set - we could still use it but it was marked

I really feel for you and your husband, it may have been a bit careless, but we can all be smart with hindsight.
You are doing everything you can, and hopefully your neighbors will realise this, and be gracious about it, of course they’re annoyed, who wouldn’t be? But these things happen, and in the interest of neighbourliness hopefully they will put it behind them.

i don;t think you can ask them for the damaged cushions, even if you do pay for new ones.
they might seriously hiss them off.
i can see why they would not want the perpetrator to come near their gazebo, so they may charge you for getting in a competent person to restore it.
but of course it was a mistake, and has happened. a lesson learned. and if you can buy your way out of trouble, that's the best outcome.
did neighbour try daubing with white spirit or turps before washing cushion covers?
all the best.