advice please

Looks like you are doing all you can , I wonder could your insurance cover it as accidental damage ?
It was an accident , don’t beat yourself up about it !

Thank you,just like a quiet life we have never spoken because we keep to ourselves and now feel so bad about this totally my husbands fault.He will go around after sleep from a nightshift to offer again to clean it,it's just these cushions and gazebo curtains,just hope the paint comes off even if they weren't brand new not their fault and i know how i would feel.Just going to go outside now to see if i can hear her my heart is pounding.

Similar experience so it might help you to know that I told neighbours in the hope they would be aware and so would take precautions to prevent any further damage. The matter was sorted and a few days later they came round with lovely plant which I wouldn’t have chosen myself but was nice of them to do so.

You don’t need a pounding heart, Joanna because you are able to feel upset for them and are so sorry that this has happened. Paint sprayers will deposit spray in all sorts of unexpected places, so a boundary fence with a neighbour will always present a risk! Some people might even complain if an edge of paint leaked through and was applied with a brush!

It was an accident and you’re both sorry and probably embarrassed - especially as you don’t know these people. Once any spots can be removed from hard surfaces, if there’s damage to the curtains and cushions, you can offer to replace them. If they really don’t behave graciously and accept your apology and response, then you’ve done everything you could to put right the problem and they will only show themselves in a bad light.

I’d be upset if it was my property, but if you straight away offered to put it right, I’d think you were very decent people. Nobody died! You can do no more, so give it a go and don’t worry.

Probably too late but if your neighbour uses a spot of Swarfega on the paint marks before washing it should remove the paint. Has always worked for me, not advertising!

It's happened, it will be resolved and your neighbor is being very reasonable about it. Accidents happen, it's a part of life.

Awful for you. I think you should offer to replace them if she can’t get the marks off. If she says it’s all ok I’d take round a small gift - bottle of wine or plant to say sorry for inconvenience

We have a fence that we put in. It is not a larch-lap type, more substantial and (for us) was very very pricey.

Our new neighbours have painted their side and we have drips from the top running down and "breakthrough-paint" here and there.

It looks a mess but I'm going to have to live with it. Can't get it off without doing the whole fence which will take forever as it's quite long.

If you can afford it I'd offer to buy new cushion covers and curtains and get the gazebo cleaned if you can. There's nothing else you can do really.
Yes, it will probably be expensive but it's better than feeling ill about it.

This happened to some friends of ours, their washing was covered in spray from a paint sprayer, they were far from happy, but wouldn’t have been so annoyed if the neighbor hadn’t had a. ‘sorry, but that’s life’ attitude.
Needless to say, they no longer speak!

update,my husband went over this afternoon and the neighbour has said she washed one cushion twice and the paint didn't come off,my husband offered to take to the dry cleaners but she said she would do it and speak to them otherwise she said the set is really new and cost 500 pounds,he husband is home tomorrow he works away and my husband will talk to him tomorrow not looking forward to that,he also offered to clean the gazebo frame and curtains but she said it was very heavy and he husband said wait until he was home,so my husband has offered to help.Once this is sorted hopefully calmly although i can understand i would be very upset if it was ours i will just buy flowers or a plant as a sorry as well,very expensive lesson learnt but if it keeps the peace that's the most important thing and they can see we are very sorry just hope the 2 husbands can play nice tomorrow so another stressful night.Thank you all.x

Expensive mistake but no need to stress, the worse that can happen is you have to replace everything.

You are being reasonable so doubt you will fall out over it.

Hope you get this sorted with no hassle. Other the other hand....
My friend did similar with Fence sprayer, she was over the moon as it was quick but the other side of the fence in the road was a white car that became seriously splattered in Fence Paint.
Lucky for her the guy had a sense of humour and it washed off. He called into her to let her know use a brush next time, it took her a while to stop laughing.

I can’t see you can do anymore, obviously they aren’t too pleased, but it was an accident, and you are doing everything you can to sort it out.

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Have you asked your household insurance company for help - it's worth at least a 'try'.

geekesse

Ok, this isn’t directed at the OP, but her husband must be a bit thoughtless. Anyone can figure out that paint sprayers make a horrible mess and splatter very widely. What kind of idiot uses one to paint a fence without checking the surroundings first to see if there’s anything that is likely to be damaged?

I do agree, but too late now. I think I would want compensation. Washing and scrubbing a new set of cushions etc. is going to change how they feel, even if the paint comes off.

You could try your insurance, but I think you may need to replace the damaged goods with new. Sorry.

I do not think going through insurance would work as the excess is likely to be £500 and premiums would rise.

Hello.We are still waiting to hear from the neighbour,didn't want to go around again today in case she feels we are annoying her so waiting to hear them in the garden or her husband to call around he works away during the week.I understand how she must feel i would as well,and if they are dry cleaned she may still be able to see the paint,we will replace the set only fair,we actually went to the store earlier to see them but no stock left and none online so i don't know what to do but obviously up to them,we will take the old set and replace but they obviously took time to choose a set at 500 pounds i would have so not sure what they can do now,even by replacing the set,i feel bad plus we have the gazebo to sort out.My poor husband is so carefully paints that fence every year but somehow this year this happened and he is kicking himself for being so stupid and it has made him question himself now.What a mess just hope the neighbours accept it was an accident and we will do whatever we can to put them back to where they were i hate conflict,and i am sat indoors this afternoon cant face being outside.

We all make mistakes. You’re doing the right thing, and trying to put it right. That would satisfy me, and I’m sure most people. I would just ask them for a receipt for the furniture, unless you know for sure that it’s all new. You still need to reimburse, but not necessarily the full amount.

Hope it goes well for you.

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.

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.

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 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!

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