Dealing with a vandalised car

I LEFT my car in a car park and came back to find it had been vandalised. Do I have any options to be compensated for this? L.P.

You need to inform the police and check your insurance to see if it covers such an eventuality.

This is unlikely if you have a basic “third party” policy (covering you for damage caused by you to other people’s property), unless the culprit is found, in which case your insurer could seek compensation from the other party’s one
and/or legal action could be taken for compensation by your insurer or yourself.

If the car park was supervised, then you could take legal action for compensation from the firm responsible, though you should seek an amicable solution first. Which court to use depends on the value of the damage: juge de proximité (below €4,000), tribunal d’instance (€4,000-10,000), then tribunal de grande instance.

If all else fails, it may be possible to get compensation from the Commission d’Indemnisation des Victimes d’Infractions (CIVI), a state body compensating victims of crime. You apply via your tribunal de grande instance by lettre recommandée avec avis de réception (recorded delivery letter).