Police have forced a door open! Who gets the Bill??

Question

Hey there!

I'm in the UK.

The police have forced a door open in a property I manage, at the request of a neighbour thinking the tenant was dead.

Turns out he's not, and he was just away.

Who is now liable for the cost of repairs? Neighbour, Police, Managing Agent, Tenant or Landlord??

Well we've now had more information on it all!!

Turns out the police called the managing agent for the building, who apparently gave them the go ahead to enter.

Although now they claim that never happend!!

Thanks for all the help on it folks!! We're just awaiting the police report before we can allocate blame!!

Answer 1

hey !

the police are definitely not liable as they have a public duty , and it could have went the other way and there could have been a different scenario if the tenant was dead , the neighbour isn't responsible for the bill either as they were just trying to be a good person/neighbour.

to be honest i think that its the owner of the properties responsibility and the cos should come out of his housing insurance .

you can try http://www.freelawyer.co.uk/legal-advice/housing-laws.htm
and see what your rights are from there , or citizens advice is always a good start and I'm sure they can help you over the phone,

good luck !

Answer 2

Potentially tricky, but your need to ask if the Police took the right actions. Was the entry an emergency? Why did the Police act on the word of a neighbour, and not contact you if you manage the property? It sound like they may not have taken the correct course of action, especially if you knew that the person was away, and could have informed them had they spoken to you.

You will need to get an incident number from the police (they will require the date and the address, and should have logged the incident).

You will then need to put your claim in writing and send it to:

Accident & Claims Department
230-232 Putney Bridge Road
SW15 2PD

Try asking the questions above when you put the claim to them. Certainly the Tenant is not liable, nor is the Managing Agent, and it is doubtful that the Neighbour is liable (unless they gave some level of misleading information).

If the Police feel they acted correctly, then they will not pay, which means that you will be liable. Your best bet is to try to demonstrate that there were other course of action open to the Police. As the neighbour was ok, this is marginally beneficial to your claim.

Answer 3

I can't say in the UK. In the US, the tenant would get the bill though unless the police thought they did something very wrong like made a drug raid on the wrong apartment. And of course you could go to court and prove the police did something wrong and collect. But elsewise it goes to the tenant. No! The landlord is completely out of the picture here. I'm sure on this count, UK as well.

Answer 4

This happened to my sister recently. She & her boyfriend returned home to find police everywhere. They had forced the front door and the door to their flat. There was glass everywhere. Turns out they got the wrong house and the house they were supposed to go to was 3 or 4 houses down the road.

She went days without a lockable front door or flat door (she couldnt go out). The police told her that it was their landlords responsibility to get it fixed and then apply to the police to get the money back.

She has just launched a formal complaint with independant police complaints commission.... she's waiting on an outcome.

So, in short. It is the Landlords responsibility to get the door fixed, and as a matter of urgency. The Landlord then applies to the police to get the money back. you then launch a complaint.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Start with the Insurance company. This will mean reading the policy unfortunately. Also check with the Police, I suspect they are liable, but I bet they don't pay up

Answer 6

Sadly the occupant will get the outrageous bill for the cost of repairs. This happened to my daughter. The cost of four silly little screws fitted to a door frame was £175.00. I argued this, and got it reduced £100, but daughter still has to pay. Good luck.

Answer 7

They usually get someone out to repair it and pay...had this with a neighbour last year ..we thought she was dead...and they repaired the door at their cost not hers...threaten with bad pubilicity...eg London Tonight or something...that will sort it asap...

Answer 8

I would say landlord or owner.
i had a simular thing a few years ago, i called police to check on my dad.

they had to break a glass window to get in.
I was presented with a bill to make the building secure & had to find a glazier & pay for it to be replaced.

Answer 9

Landlord.

The police were just doing their job, acting on a tip off.

The neighbour was only showing concern as he had not seen the tenant.

The tenant wasnt even there.

Answer 10

The police will sort it out; they did the damage, even with the best intent in the world. They have insurance for this sort of thing. Mind you, it might be simpler (and quicker) to speak to your buildings insurers.