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yingyingwu

Hi there, my car was grazed by my flatmate when she was trying to reverse out from the drive way. It was dark, we both knew what happened and she said she will fix it for me. The day after , i had a good look at my car, there few a few scratches of her car colour on my car and one spot the paint was grazed off completely. After a few days, when I asked her to fix it, she refused to take full responsibility. She denied that she did a few scratches but not the bit of the spot. It is my car. I know it didn't have any scratches before the accident. I was shock when she started playing game with me.
Please help me if I can take her car and my car to somewhere to confirm that her car caused the damages. Or is there anything else I could do?
Thank you.
Crystal

ABayliss

From your description, it seems highly likely that your flatmate did all the damage and it's most unfortunate that she is now refusing to accept liability.
If you are fully insured, you should just notify your insurance company and get them to sort this dilema out for you.
If you are not insured, it becomes more difficult as it may be very difficult to prove that all the damage was caused by her car, but if your flatmate is in agreement, you could take both cars to a panelbeater/painter for an opinion.
Failing that, you can take your flatmate to the Disputes Tribunal for them to mediate. They can be contacted on 0800 268 787.

Anon

Remember if you decide to go to the Tribunal to take photographs of the damage and detailed description of how the accident occurred along with the advice of ABayliss to get a quote for the repair, more than one (3 is best), also if you google your address and get a satellite view, with that you can clearly describe what happened (take 3 copies) and hand copies to the referee and defendant as you are explaining what happened.

yingyingwu

Hi ABayliss, thanks for your advise. I'm fully insured and I had contacted the insurance company. Unfortunately, I was told that if my flat kept refusing to accept liability for the damage, I am most likely to end up paying for it. They can not guarantee anything. I had asked serval panelbeaters for advise, they all agree that the damages look like all happened in one accident . I am going to lodge the case in Disputes Tribunal. Hopefully, I will be answered with justice.

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yingyingwu

Hi sanjeet83,thank you for your thoughtful and kindly remind. I will make sure I gathered all the informations indeed. Lets hope my flatmate will pay for what she's done.

ABayliss

Good luck with getting this resolved. It's a shame that your flatmate continues to deny responsibility and that it has come to this, as it will not be easy for the two of you to share the same home!
Best wishes for s positive outcome.