What happens if the police batter down your door and cause a load of damage on a raid but have the wrong house?

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Holli303@reddit

This actually happened to me. There was no one home so they broke the door. They replaced the door. That is all 😐

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Honestly one of my biggest fears is that we get raided and my dog and cats get out. There's no reason we should get raided, but you hear about them having false information or getting the wrong address enough that it does worry me.

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rainaftermoscow@reddit

Our block was raided by the home office recently, and I very politely explained to them that they have been informed of the correct address during THE LAST SODDING RAID. I also reminded them that legally they can only target the actual numbered flats they've been given, and that this is a pet friendly block and some of us own protection dogs. The front door has never been the same since.

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BigDaddy969696@reddit

I would have gotten the evidence that they were informed of the right address, but still destroyed the door of a wrong house, and sued for replacement.

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rkr87@reddit

I once opened the door casually after a knock to find 3 police officers stood there. I was a deer in the headlights panicking wondering what I'd done... Turns out they were looking for a man with the same name as the person who had owned my house 12 years ago. Once we cleared that up, 3 more police officers then wandered from behind my house, I assume waiting to catch me if I attempted to do a runner out the back door.

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Tao626@reddit

That sounds fair enough. Imagine the alternate version where you were actually that guy, or he was in the house. If they just said "sorry for the mix up, have a nice day" and that was that, people would be like "idiots, why didn't they have 3 guys at the bsck in case you were lying?"

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rkr87@reddit

Oh yeah, I wasn't knocking it. One of the 3 nodded and smiled cheekily as he walked past. Made me laugh when it clicked what was going on.

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Holli303@reddit

In my case it was less knocking anything and more smashing the shit into my house 😂

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CaptainParkingspace@reddit

A little less conversation, a little more action.

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Holli303@reddit

I wasn't even home for the conversation....so I guess...yes? 😂

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DTH2001@reddit

It’s the opening line of an Elvis song

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Holli303@reddit

I know and I appreciate it 😊

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Dreadpirateflappy@reddit

I had a neighbour have his door broken down many years ago and arrested a few weeks after moving in, they were apparently looking for the previous owner and my neighbour was home the next day. I have always worried it will wrongly happen to me, got a disabled son and he would be fucking traumatised.

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Midnightraven3@reddit

Happened to my daughter, she was in bed sleeping, it was just before 5am, they battered down her door, destroying it and the frame and her house cat got out. They realised VERY quickly they had the wrong house, They had the door replaced, and she got her cat back, but the cat was never the same again, she had never known anything but peace and safety, Even years later my daughter doesnt sleep well. Its more harrowing than people think

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mistensong@reddit

I imagine that would be terrifying! Waking up to the sound of your door being battered down, I think I'd need a long time to recover from that. I say that as a single female, but that must be awful for anyone. I hope your daughter is doing okay now.

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Midnightraven3@reddit

Thank you, she is a very easy going & level headed person so to see her shaken was worrying. She still has issues sleeping unfortunately but she just gets on with it (and enjoys a wee nap when she can!)

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

So did you come home to a new door? What happened?

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Holli303@reddit

We didn't. We came back to a bored up door. I had to climb on my van roof to get in a front window. They replaced it. It still truly sucked. Thank (pick deity...or don't) that I had a van I could climb on to break into MY OWN HOUSE 😒

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Whisky-Toad@reddit

If it makes you feel better I’ve broke into my own house 3 times

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Holli303@reddit

I have raging ADHD (recently diagnosed even though it was GLARINGLY obvious) so I leave my keys all over the place.😂 I've had to break into my house a few times but this was the only time I came home to having had my door kicked in 🤣

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Alternative-Bee2962@reddit

ADHD is a fucking pain in the arse and I have locked myself out so many times as forgot my keys or shut the door because I didn't even think about having my keys and either had to break in or wait for my aunt to turn up with my spare key lol. I spent a lifetime doing this until I was recently diagnosed with ADHD which explained why I never learnt my lesson and thankfully I now have a door you have to lock every time with my keys and no more locking myself out 😂😆😂

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Holli303@reddit

Can't agree more. I had just tidied my bedroom up (I know! Achievement unlocked!) Then I lost my PJs. Destroyed my newly tidy room for about 20 minutes before I realised I was wearing them.😐 I still have a floordrobe. I'm diagnosed but still unmedicated. I'm may be a stupid human, but at least I know why now 🤣

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Alternative-Bee2962@reddit

Ah I am unmedicated and waiting to try medication and I really hope it helps as it is a nightmare being so disorganised and constantly losing things 😂 I have done something similar and spent ages looking for my slippers and I had them on and the new thing is I am constantly losing my glasses and they are something that I have recently had to start using and I constantly put them down and then can't find them. ADHD keeps me on my toes and gives my friends something to laugh about and I sometimes wonder how I have managed to make it to 44 and never learning 😂😆

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Holli303@reddit

THIS! I'm 38. Apparently I've been "self medicating" since I was 12. That just made me dumber, I'll and more disorganised in the long run. I'm sober now but it's taken a lot of time and bullshit to get here. ADHD is an absolute bitch. Probably for my wife in the largest part. Nobody wants to find out I've completely organised all of the top drawers and destroyed the whole house because - cutlery.

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Alternative-Bee2962@reddit

I self medicated in my adult years and used things I knew I shouldn't but not knowing why I was like I am was a lot to deal with and I no longer use the party drugs and mainly because I am too old lol. But well done for getting sober and I know how hard it is and went through it with my ex and I saw his struggle with drink and getting sober and you have done really well. But I don't know about you but I wish I had been diagnosed as a kid, but ADHD wasn't a thing in the 80's and 90's and I was just seen as the hyper naughty kid who wouldn't concentrate and stop talking and I was finally diagnosed at 42/43 and even though I now no it still doesn't make it any easier to live with and ADHD is a fucking bitch lol and I also have autism on top as a added bonus which wasn't diagnosed until I was 38/39 and I didn't have a clue I had either but made sense when I found out. But good luck with everything buddy and keep going with staying sober and just stay away from tidying any more kitchen drawers and I am sure your wife will thank you for it 😂😆😂

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Holli303@reddit

Thank you lovely. Also well done for getting on top of your life. I'm also too old, but I work as a DJ which basically makes you an insufferable, wrecked fuckwit from the get go. There aren't all that many of us who are sober. I'm just a boring gym rat who loves drum and bass, techno and psytrance nowadays 😂 Suits me just fine. Working out and meditation helps with my ADHD.

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Alternative-Bee2962@reddit

I wouldn't say that I am on top of my life and my ex husband would say that and probably more 😂 and I will probably be single going forward and the gay world is cut throat at the best of times let alone being gay guy with autism and ADHD 😂. What a cool job you have and I love a bit of the good old 90's trance and takes me back to my rave days and being young, stupid and off my face having fun in some warehouse or a field in the middle of nowhere 😂. But I can imagine it can be hard being sober and working in clubs surrounded by drink and drunk people.

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Holli303@reddit

Also a raging queer here! 😜 My wife and I are living separately but trying to get ourselves and our relationship on track. Honestly the batshit madness of ADHD is kinda appealing to some people.😊 Also helps keep me distracted enough at festivals/clubs/raves to avoid getting fucked up. I like remembering my weekends!😂 AuDHD people tend to be really great people in my experience! We all have our quirks. Don't worry too much about finding someone else. Enjoy your own life and get that you time in. The rest will come! Oh and check out Pure Nova - Pure Elements if you like your trance! I recently found it on vinyl for £2 at a charity shop 😊 Absolute banger! https://youtu.be/o8RpbRYUbnM?si=uvFp3YxrTP20sumE

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Alternative-Bee2962@reddit

Ah part of the same club 🤣. I sometimes think living separately can be good for a relationship and I hope you work it all out. It probably would have saved my relationship and we ended up remaining best friends and actually live next door to each other and we get on better now than when together and it's not most people's first choice having their ex next door but I never get any complaints when I want to blast some music 😂😆😂 That was a great tune and thanks for sharing it and just takes me back to being in a club rushing off my tits and talking shit with strangers who were all in the same state and chain smoking on the dancefloor 😂. If I wanted a big night out would head to London and used to love Heaven back in the middle to late 90's and they played some good music for a gay club and Trade could be quite good if you wanted to carry on after Heaven shut. But I normally went to the straight clubs, dance festivals or raves back then if I wanted it to be just trance and dance all night and the gay clubs for meeting men and it was not for the music 😂 😆 😂

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Holli303@reddit

I was part of an illegal sound system that moved on to festivals in the mid 2000s. I got my face kicked in too often...and pepper spray hurts 😂. Gay clubs do tend to lean into the cheese, but I'm always game for a little Kylie and the Spice Girls from time to time. I've found the psytrance scene to be the most accepting of LGBT+ people. However reggae still actively screams "Slooo Dem" (meaning kill all gays😐) to this day. I love my ragga jungle/DnB but the community is a little homophobic. It sucks. Trance to the rescue!!!😊

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Alternative-Bee2962@reddit

God my life seems dull compared to yours, but getting your face kicked in and pepper sprayed doesn't sound too fun but I bet you have loads of interesting stories and you can always say that lived a full and exciting life 😂 I definitely am glad I was out and about from 97 and into the early 00's and it was a lot of fun and a great time to be young. I definitely miss it but I couldn't handle it now and it would take me a month to get over it these days. I was quite lucky and the people who mainly were at trance nights were high on E and were pretty loved up and didn't have a problem with me being gay and the only time you got any trouble was with the drinkers and I only got someone kick off once directly with me and he thought I was coming on to his girlfriend and quickly got me a pint when he realised I was gay and no threat at all lol. But I went to a few Drum and Base nights and found it not to be the same vibe and especially as a young gay bloke. But I come from a small market town with a huge amount of Army camps and you learn very quickly how to handle yourself and navigate it as a gay bloke. My ex is older than me and he went through the late 70's and 80's as his play ground and he said the raves in the 80's were pure crazy and he went to the early Glastonbury festival and he said that they were much better in the early days. He lived in squats for years in his younger days and he had a great time and he said it was the best time of his life and a lot of it is a blur. He is in his mind 60's now and is still at it and I don't think he will ever change and glad we were able to stay best friends. I'm sure you will work it out with your wife as she sounds like she is the most important person to you and I really hope that you can get there, as you seem like a great lady. Relationships are fucking difficult, but when you find your person the fight to make it work is worth it and I hope you can work it out 😊. I know you don't know me but feel free to DM me if you need another ADHD crazy gay to chat to 😂

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

Ugh. That's shit.

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Holli303@reddit

It genuinely was

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Not_a_real_ghost@reddit

Imagine they then arrest you for breaking and entering.

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RealLongwayround@reddit

There is no such offence however. Burglary requires entry as a trespasser with intent to commit GBH or theft. Entry alone is insufficient.

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bluesam3@reddit

The "breaking" part, however, could imply criminal damage.

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Neither_Process_7847@reddit

Not to your own property though.

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TheHornyGoth@reddit

Assuming you owned the place. If you’re a renter….

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RealLongwayround@reddit

In the event of a boarded up door (which is the given scenario), that would be a stretch.

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Holli303@reddit

As a short, white gal with dreadlocks they basically assume I must have committed some kind of crime by default.😂 I worked as a security guard for almost a decade. In most cases it's funny in this case it was just annoying.

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ljr69@reddit

Do short white gals with dreadlocks commit a lot of crimes then? That’s a new one on me.

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Aggressive-Salt-1667@reddit

Breaking in to your own house is diabolical.

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Holli303@reddit

I know right!!! 😂

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sihasihasi@reddit

Did they leave a note, or did you just come to the boarded-up door and a WTF?

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Holli303@reddit

It was in one of those little plastic envelopes like when you get a parking ticket..just stuck to a boarded up door 😐

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LittleSadRufus@reddit

You're lucky. I had the fire brigade smash down my door while I was out. They left a note, but that was that. No compensation or attempt to secure the building. Turned out a neighbour had smelled smoke, called the fire brigade and pointed them to my flat as the likely culprit. After smashing their way in and confirming there was no fire, they discovered the smell was actually due to smouldering in her flat. We shared a tiny entrance hall. So annoying.

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Holli303@reddit

Oh, now that actually sucks.😒 I absolutely would have been big mad about that one. At least in my case they were trying (failing) to sort out the influx of aggressive little 15y/o roadmen in my city.

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bopeepsheep@reddit

Same - though I got home to find police in my flat. They paid for a new door and lock (my insurance company were only going to pay £50 of it due to the excess so the police just paid the lot).

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Holli303@reddit

I was in a council flat at the time thankfully. Effectively they broke their own door 😂

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colin_staples@reddit

It's interesting to see that most answers here are saying that the Police would pay for (and have paid for) the replacement door etc When this question gets asked in the US- based subreddits, the answer is always "tough shit, the police aren't paying and it's YOUR problem"

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Z3r0sama2017@reddit

Probably why the States have stand your ground laws so you can defend it from forced entry.

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VivaLaJam26@reddit

So this actually happened to my sister in law. She was at home and all of a sudden the door got bashed in and police where searching the house, can't remember what for, but it was the wrong address, it was two houses down the row. The thing is though, her husband IS a police officer, had been for 7 years at that point. Obviously he wasn't working that raid, but it was a bit embarassing for everyone and a massive shock for them. They paid for the damages and everything, but can't remember if they had to sort it out or my SIL did.

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Herne_KZN@reddit

Several houses on my street are in the wrong place on Google maps and, presumably, whatever dataset it draws from. Corrected it 4 or 5 times only to have it revert until the last one seems to have stuck. Still several errors for other houses. Lots of places have poor or no numbers visible so I can easily see this happening.

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anti-sugar_dependant@reddit

I get food deliveries for a couple of other addresses about once a month. There's an address that's similar to mile the other side of the city, think Ash Close and Ash Grove, and their address is in a new build estate and still isn't on Google maps. And I'm in an end terrace and my house belongs to the street it's not attached to, but obviously everyone thinks if I'm attached to number 57 I must be 58 but I'm not, I'm 1 of the other street. Also Google maps thought my house was in a different place for years, I corrected it regularly and it's in the right place now but for about 3 years I had to go and find delivery people who got lost.

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starwars_2103@reddit

I’m also a corner house, number 1, and our street&the surrounding streets make up a super odd shape like this, so there’s 4 no.1’s in total, all around a 2min walk from each other. We’re CONSTANTLY getting mail for the other n1’s https://preview.redd.it/dp9bq0qr3ohg1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b0f1330db6aad95e3ef9bcfcdda9f6edcc2f5a5

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PepsiMaxSumo@reddit

Royal Mail set the data in their delivery offices in their own custom system fed by the ONS, by getting the postie to go out and confirm where the houses are. You can inform them if it’s wrong and on the newest review it should get fixed

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Gauntlets28@reddit

How do they even manage to get the wrong address? Surely, in the absence of any other information about why you're raiding a house, the address is the one thing you would make absolutely sure was correct?

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biggles1994@reddit

Transposing numbers is pretty easy, instead of number 13 you type 31 and get the house on the opposite side of the road.

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anabsentfriend@reddit

Have you not watched Line of Duty???

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helpnxt@reddit

Everyone makes mistakes every now and then.

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Pumpytums@reddit

Apart from kicking in someone's back door

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helpnxt@reddit

I mean they clearly have this whole thread kinda demonstrates that

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Spinxy88@reddit

If you've never smashed someone's 'back door' in, the regretted it, have you even lived?

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smallTimeCharly@reddit

Loads of ways to get a wrong address on the warrant. If there's something where they've ended up getting information from phone or internet records and the address has been registered wrong then they'll end up executing at that address sometimes. So right address on the warrant , wrong address for finding bad guys. Or you can get intelligence that has pointed out the wrong house or also given the wrong address. Houses with names and not numbers and having the name or number on the warrant and not the other confusing things. Then just cockups where they read the address wrong or literally go to the wrong place. Basically any address a delivery guy fucks up repeatedly then the police will also have a chance of fucking it up on a warrant. My mates flat got knocked in a few times like this because the building had some confusing numbering system.

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wongl888@reddit

Or the police officer in charge just picked the wrong house in the heat of all the excitement.

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CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

I've heard of a case of it happening because they decided to use the rear door for the element of surprise and the layout of the houses from the rear wasn't intuitive in relation to the house numbering scheme (think they assumed it'd go 2,4,6 and it didnt..)

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CaptainYid@reddit

I bet the amount of cake fines he received were glorious

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thenewblueroan2@reddit

I'd be going to absolute town on them. Damages, extreme anxiety, public embarrassment. You name it. If you've done nothing wrong and it's entirely a fuck up on the polices part and incompetence dont hold back.

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Logbotherer99@reddit

You make a claim for repairs. If they made a mistake they fix it usually, but if they had reason to believe then they might not.

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Quality_Cabbage@reddit

I helped a rozzer knock down my next door neighbour's door one time. Poor fella was in very bad health, some friends came around to take him out for the evening and got no response. I sneaked into his back garden to look through his window and spotted him lying on the floor. I rang 999 and two cops turned up and decided to bust the door down. Male cop grabbed the battering ram from the car, then decided I was heftier than his female colleague, so told me to help. It was a regular uPVC door but it withstood a few big blows before the entire panel suddenly went flying into the hall and the two cops legged it inside. I would have liked to have followed them shouting "It's the pigs! Freeze, motherfuckers!" but as my neighbour was lying dead in his dining room, I thought it might be inappropriate.

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cuppachar@reddit

I don't think he'd have minded tbh

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Friendly_Leave360@reddit

They pay for it.

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RFFizzle@reddit

A guy at work had spent some time previously working with the police, he said that it actually happens so often that they have a special form for it. They pay for it to be repaired apparently.

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Not_Sugden@reddit

I think what they do is the attempt to reach the owner of the premises, if they cant then they have to have an officer wait while its boarded up and they leave some sort of notice to say the owner should contact xyz police and they would pay for a new door to be installed. Presumably any other associated costs eg if they broke something else in the process

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Not_Sugden@reddit

I think what they do is the attempt to reach the owner of the premises, if they cant then they have to have an officer wait while its boarded up and they leave some sort of notice to say the owner should contact xyz police and they would pay for a new door to be installed. Presumably any other associated costs eg if they broke something else in the process

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OddPerspective9833@reddit

If the police fucked up they're liable. But if they were acting correctly and the damage was unavoidable it's basically the same as if a storm wrecked the place: call your insurer

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dinkidoo7693@reddit

This happened to my next door neighbours a few years ago. It was loud and terrifying, they hadn’t long moved in. The police had to replace their front door, a shoe rack and the entrance way carpet.

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Kind_Shift_8121@reddit

We had armed police come through our house to access a garden behind. They made a right mess of the carpet but refused to contribute to replacement / cleaning as we opened the door and permitted them to pass through. When a hurried, masked policeman with a gun says he and his mates are coming through we didn’t really have a lot of time to consider the collateral damage. Next time I’ll be telling them to do one.

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

Yes, Janet, we ARE claiming for the shoe rack as well!!!

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EVERYTHINGGOESINCAPS@reddit

TBF they could get something slightly dirty and they're paying to replace it. If they've got the wrong place it should be returned to how it was.

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Holli303@reddit

Damn...we should have claimed for the doors INSIDE the house that they felt like they needed to ram. Still got a hole in one of them 😂

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dinkidoo7693@reddit

Tbf theyd had it less than a month and it got smashed to bits

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Salty9876@reddit

They replace the door as long as the intel wasn’t bad. I.e if that is still the home of XYZ they were looking for but he wasn’t in then that’s your fault. If they meant to hit number 7 and hit number 6 they replace it

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Pedantichrist@reddit

Fire generally attend and make the premises secure (with Stirling board) and then the police make good later.

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Pitsmithy_89@reddit

My friend got raided years ago and his wife was pregnant screaming what have you done? He’s saying he’s done nothing! Turns out the new next door neighbour had the same name and they got the wrong house 😂

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gscalise@reddit

A friend was in a similar situation, but nothing was destroyed. Instead they were woken up at 2AM by the police. The put him in handcuffs while the police checked his house (his wife and 3 kids were woken up too). They said there had been a 999 call about an ongoing domestic violence situation and they only had the address but no postcode. He took it extremely well. I would have been VERY pissed off.

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Leading-Macaron-6695@reddit

Many years ago the police kicked in my mums front door while she was at work. There had been reports of someone unwell - same number, different road. The police insurance assessor visited and authorised the repairs and they were done swiftly.

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crankyandhangry@reddit

I would recommend doing a search on r/legaladviceUK because I believe there was an actual case of that last year. I think that the advice was "claim on your home insurance" because the police have no liability of they had genuine reason to think they had the right house at the time. I think it depends on whether by "wrong house", you mean "they went for house 43 but I'm house 42 and they didn't check" vs "house 42 was the last known/suspected address of the person they were looking for". I think in the latter case, they technically don't have an obligation to replace your door.

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TomatoMiserable3043@reddit

If they're acting lawfully but on false information, they're not liable. If acting unlawfully or incorrectly, they're liable. If locks are snapped, they'll usually be replaced there and then by the officer who's snapped them. If the door is put in, a subcontracted company or the council will come and board it up, depending on who own the house. The latter varies by force, though- in some, only council properties are boarded up. Your example could do with some more specifics, as there's no single answer for *'what if they get the wrong house'?*

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CrypticCodedMind@reddit

>If they're acting lawfully but on false information, they're not liable. Does this mean you then have to pay for your own replacement door? That doesn't seem right to me.

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handysmith@reddit

"Your neighbour who hates you suspected you were dealing so we smashed your house up. We're not liable sorry" Yeah sounds shit

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RealLongwayround@reddit

In the event that there is evidence of malice, a marker would likely be put on the address on Police systems.

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TomatoMiserable3043@reddit

This report alone wouldn't be grounds to force entry.

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okbuddystaymad@reddit

It’s true. Sometimes they’ll pay for it anyway on a good faith basis but they don’t have to.

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Effective_Topic_4728@reddit

This happened to me a few years ago. Some crazy alcoholic with a history of doing the same made a hoax call the the emergency services. They turned up, nobody was in so they kicked the door through, causing approximately £2000 worth of damage. The door was paid for buy the insurance companies and the police billed us for boarding up the door. We never paid it and they never chased it. They knew the person who did it, and did it twice more to our street but the police couldn't be bothered to do anything about it.

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TomatoMiserable3043@reddit

Either your insurance would cover it, or the force (not all of them!) would pay anyway even though they're not liable.

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silentarcher00@reddit

My uncle had one of his neighbours call in a welfare check while he was on holiday with my parents. Police knocked his door in and replaced it, but despite phoning my mum to ensure he was with them they didn't tell her they had replaced the door. Parents tried to drop uncle off late Sunday and couldn't get into his house. Police lost the damn key so came out and knocked his door in again. Tried to charge him twice for a new door! From what I could tell, technically he was on the hook for the first door payment because the police we acting on information, but the second was on the police. My mum managed to convince them to pay for both after a lot of angry emails. Home insurance should cover it though.

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Mystic_L@reddit

This question gets raised on r/legaladviceuk from time to time. The answer is “it depends” if they’re negligent and got the wrong address they’ll pay. If they were acting in good faith but were given the wrong address, say from an emergency caller, then you’d be copping the bill Have a read of https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/s/IHn91PhEts

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wonkychicken495@reddit

They pay for damage id suspect unless there a loop hole for them not to

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theModge@reddit

Depends: if they have a warrant, or plausible reason they don't have to. If they e.g. went to the wrong house, then they do.

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EmmaInFrance@reddit

There's been many posts on LAUK about innocent people's doors getting broken down over the years. There can be many reasons why this happens, it would seem: It could be right name and address but a bad tip-off, and the police believed that they were acting on good information. This could be a case of a genuine misunderstanding or mistake on the part of the informant, or it could also be deliberately malicious - the equivalent of a 'swatting', or as a result of a dispute with a neighbour, former friend, or a family member. Sometimes it's wrong name but right address and they're looking for a previous occupant. Sometimes it's just completely wrong. Maybe they mistook no. 8 for no. 6 in the dark, or didn't read their paperwork properly. Sometimes they go to 10 Acacia Road instead of 10 Acacia Avenue which is just around the corner. Different blocks of flats on the same big estate can also cause confusion. At least in the UK, in most cases, the police will actually own up to their mistakes and pay for repairs. Unlike the US, where their police have qualified immunity and you'll be lucky if the only damage is to your door. They've killed innocent adults and children in the homes they've raided by mistake - Breonna Taylor, for example.

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Actual-Morning110@reddit

sure them and claim insurance.

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

Fair, but if they knock down the door of someone who could be considered vulnerable, or a family with kids, surely it would be on them to make safe right away?

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Actual-Morning110@reddit

force entry could cause some serious damage to the health of old people (especially with heart conditions) and trauma to young kids (most vulnerable ones( and psychological issues to others (fear of happening that again).

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Tookin@reddit

Your home insurance will have an emergency services extension for this purpose, and the insurer will have subrogation rights to pursue the third party responsible for the damages

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Holli303@reddit

They are obliged to secure the house regardless. That means boarding it up. Not allowing access which sucks.

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SixCardRoulette@reddit

The rozzers turned up at my downstairs neighbour's flat because nobody had seen him for months, and the curtains were closed and post was piling up; they suspected he might be dead in there. They smashed the door down and went in shouting his name, and it seems like he'd done a runner, because the place was empty, no rotting food in the fridge etc. They stayed around for about an hour until a bloke turned up and nailed a door-sized board into the frame, and left. They said if the guy turned up, to tell him to speak to his insurers. He *did* show up a couple of months later, and we passed the message on, but it's still boarded up.

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ReplyResponsible2228@reddit

It happened to my parents while my mom was home alone. They were at the wrong house and the police were brutal to mom. She had to be taken to the hospital and she has never been the same, she has extreme anxiety since then. Police offered a few hundred quid to pay for the door; but nothing for the rest of the house and nothing to help my mom recover mentally. We made complaints but it didnt lead to anything.

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spacetimebear@reddit

This actually happened to me.They did fuck all. Compensated the damage and brought a box of chocolates to my mum. I was probably like 8-9, traumatized the shit out of me, I spent like the next month or so sitting and staring at the door every night instead of sleeping, lotsa child therapy for it too, I want to say it didn't affect me in the long run but when it happened again as an adult, this time an actual break in I don't remember much, beat the shit out of the guy, and then sold the house and moved 200 miles away. So totally fine.

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Great-Science-8586@reddit

This happened to a former neighbour, who was a tenant. I later spoke to the landlord of the house who said the local police refused to replace the door because they had a warrant to enter. The landlord said iit cost him about £1600 to replace the door. And the police were in the wrong.

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Great-Science-8586@reddit

I always thought there was more to the story than I was told to be honest ! The tenant was quite vulnerable and was not home at the time. I wondered whether they had the right house but were perhaps looking for a previous tenant.

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ActionBirbie@reddit

The shocking thing about this story is that the Landlord (apparently) didn't have insurance.

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

Both elements are outrageous

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ActionBirbie@reddit

What's the other shocking element? The police had a warrant, so they didn't have the wrong house.

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melijoray@reddit

So far from true.

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ActionBirbie@reddit

The information that led to the warrant might not end up being proven correct in a court of law, but that's something else.

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

Misread. Still not finished my first brew.

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pentangleit@reddit

I don't think you can buy insurance to cover the police going at your door with a sledgehammer.

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ActionBirbie@reddit

It's covered under home contents insurance. I've dealt with claims exactly of this type many many times.

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Conscious-Ball8373@reddit

I think it depends to some degree on the details of who made the error. If they just wrote down the address wrong or turned up at the wrong door then they would be liable. If someone provided evidence amounting to reasonable suspicion (and that's a very low bar) that eg a fugitive was living there and got a warrant to search the place but it turned out he wasn't there, the homeowner would be liable. In most practical situations, you hand it to your home insurer to sort out.

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SkipsH@reddit

Roger that, anonymous tips for the police for properties of people I hate it is then.

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ClaryClarysage@reddit

This happened to a friend of mine. Her elderly mum with the beginning stages of alzheimers had her door kicked in by ambulance and police as someone had reported a suicide attempt and they had the wrong house. Coppers replaced the door, ambulance crew were found to be at fault and the elderly mum had to go into a home from the shock and died a month or so later. No idea what happened to the original possble suicide.

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Zavodskoy@reddit

Firstly it depends on how they got the wrong house, if you live at 123 Reddit street and they get a warrant to search 123 Reddit Street even if that is not where the person they're searching for lives or the crime they're investigating didn't happen there they're likely legally in the clear and you're shit out of luck and have to take it up with your home insurance. If however they get a warrant to search 123 Reddit street and you live at 1234 Reddit street and they break into your house then they're liable for any damages. However even that is not a guarantee as if they got your address for something like a tip or a confession from another criminal they arrested they could be protected under the argument that they reasonably believed a crime was either taking place or had taken place at the address they searched. >Would they make the house safe there and then? You get a fun 50/50 in this one and neither of them are great. A) They board your front door shut and leave you a letter explaining what happened B) You return home to no front door and a police officer waiting to explain what happened In either of those situations it could be anywhere from a few days to multiple months before they send someone round to install a new front door for you and if you do it yourself just to get it over with even longer than that before they compensate you

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Embarrassed_Park2212@reddit

I had the police damage my garden gate, they said they wouldn't pay for it. They were chasing a prisoner that had absconded from prison, stole a car and drove all the way to where I live to realise he'd come down a dead end. He had tried to drive the car between 2 bungalows and got stuck, exited the car and jumped all over the garden fences and, for some reason, landed in my garden. Armed police kicked my gate in to get to said criminal. I did open my back door to see what the noise was and when I saw the guns I just shut it and locked it. I can't remember what the police said, I think it was something along the lines of I could sue the prisoner because of his actions they wouldn't have kicked the gate in. It's not a small gate, I think it's about 6 foot but I didn't bother to sue anyone, I can still lock it just.

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danthedan123@reddit

Happened to a guy across the road from me on christmas day. They had guns and were cutting his door off the hinges. The house was empty as the occupant was away. They caused over £2000 is damage and when he went to the police station to try and claim, they laughed at him and told him they didn't care because the tax payer will pay. He never got any money for it in the end

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okbuddystaymad@reddit

On Christmas Day? Don’t they have anything better to do? Saddos.

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Holli303@reddit

Poor sod! That sucks! We got our front door fixed but not the damage inside the house. It was the wrong house btw, as I've said in a previous post.

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

Wow that's brutal

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yearsofpractice@reddit

Hey OP. With history as my guide, they’ll begrudgingly replace the front door, all the while adopting a ***“well, your house shouldn’t be acting so suspiciously, should it?!”*** attitude

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FinnJavlar@reddit

Happened to me. Police had a warrant for flat 3. Opposite to the door for flat 3 is my flat, number 4. They knocked both doors off their hinges, and split mine. I was breastfeeding my son in the livingroom watching police run from room to room yelling "coast clear". I let them get on with it and just watched. Later boss policeman comes in and confesses they've done a whoooops. He said the police would absolutely pay for a new door. We waited for them to contact us re new door but they never did. We called the local police station to ask about a door and confused the hell out of a poor receptionist. After a bit of faffing about we were put through to someone who knew what to do. Turns out we're supposed to purchase the door, have it installed and then submit the receipts. That was a bit of a ballache since we were poor at the time. We borrowed money from his mum, bought a door, paid for lock and installation. We submitted receipts and were promptly reimbursed.

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Altorode@reddit

Happened to my family. We had all moved out of the family home and my dad was renovating it very slowly (a couple hours every weekend). All doors and windows were locked, and the door to the upstairs landing had a lock on it as well. Police alleged that they had a call about a domestic violence incident at the house, tried to break in the door and failed (we had a surprisingly effective security door - made sure to drop a positive review on the manufacturers page lol), got a locksmith out, drilled the locks, rifled through the boxes in the kitchen and living room, broke down the upstairs door, etc. Mental when you think that the entire event will have taken hours, all the lights are off and there's no reaction whatsoever while it's going on. My dad believes they thought they were raiding a grow operation or something, because the DV claim doesn't stack up. Anyway, after a very prolonged complaints process they paid to replace the front door and the upstairs door, but it was like pulling teeth.

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

They busted down my neighbours door, quite a few times and he reinforced it with various things, then on the 16th or so raid he replaced the door, it took 4 guys to lift that fucker onto the wheelbarrow, I dismantled it and used the materials to reinforce the chicken coop

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TobsterVictorSierra@reddit

What on earth were you brewing?

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TheHeroYouNeed247@reddit

What I wonder is what if they find stuff? What if I'm smoking a joint chilling with my cat? They had no legal right to be there, is it admissible in court?

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IsOkay_No@reddit

This actually happened to me as a kid. They broke down the door on my 7th birthday looking for the previous occupants. They definitely don’t make it safe there and then because they came back a week later when we were out and came home to no door. I don’t know what happened after that, it was a rented council house and the council got us a new door but I don’t know who “paid” for it

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No_Objective006@reddit

The council will usually rectify as an emergency repair as the property is unsecured and will bill the police for it. They generally do the repair because they have repair teams and standard doors, not sure if this is the case in private housing. Source: worked for council.

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Underwritingking@reddit

They have to make good

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byjimini@reddit

Can’t speak for the police but I can for the fire service. You can call them out to update your fire alarms and survey the house, which they keep on record should there be a fire on your street. Then they know the best entrances a the layout. Anyway, they said they have “good insurance” to replace doors are kicking them in to rescue people.

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Leicsbob@reddit

I have just renewed my home insurance and noticed it has cover specifically for this.

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Advanced-Fig6699@reddit

Happened to me many years ago, police weee looking for the previous occupants and I was at work. Was very strange getting a call from the police who had found some of my work paperwork to tell me what they had done and they had to pay for me to get a new door

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ActionBirbie@reddit

They send someone round to repair the door. I think they do that even if they have the right house.

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SpiritualShizz@reddit

No they don't if they arrest someone for dealing drugs in the house they then board up the house afterwards they don't give you a new door

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ByteSizedGenius@reddit

If they don't have a warrant for the address or are not utilising their statutory powers e.g. they believe there is a risk to life then they will pay for the repairs. Otherwise they won't.

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Puzzleheaded-Put-154@reddit

The police broke through my neighbour's door, never found out why, I presume a welfare concern. He wasn't arrested that's definite, but he never told me what it was about, so maybe not relevant. I can say without doubt, they did not repair the door. In fact, the landlord didn't either, at least on the inside, the door shuts and locks, but it's a mess in the inside. Honestly made me realise that even if you're at the point you might end your life, some landlords will still avoid the work 😶

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Any_Passenger3189@reddit

Friend of mine did this as a paramedic. ?cardiac arrest, nobody answered the door so put his boot in - cue very surprised man getting out the shower. Ambulance service footed the bill for a replacement door.

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cgknight1@reddit

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06627/SN06627.pdf

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Farticus79@reddit (OP)

Ah, thank you

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teacup901@reddit

They have to put it right would be my guess. If they get the right house though, the owner sorts.

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