What should i do??!!

12th July 2010

I hit a pothole in January causing damage to 2 wheels and tyres plus other damage costing me over £500.The council have offered £324,and are accepting liability.
Should I accept this or dispute it?My only worry is I could end up with nothing,but on the other hand,can't afford to loose over £200.
Any advise would be great!!

Replies (1)

Potholes.co.uk Expert     posted : 13/07/10 at 1:50 pm

Without any further details about your claim and what was damaged, no-one can give you any specific advice I'm afraid.

One thing that most people tend to forget about is 'fair usage'. Compensation claims are not 'new for old' and you are only entitled to claim the value of what was damaged, not the cost for a new one.

For example - say you damaged a tyre that would have lasted 30,000 miles, and you had already used the tyre to travel 15,000 miles. You are only entitled to claim about 1/2 the value of that tyre because you have had to replace it in another 15,000 miles anyway. This applies to all car parts unless the car is very new.

If you have not already taken 'fair usage' into account, you will never get the £500 you have paid out, and you might want to take this into account when deciding if their offer is fair.