How to get SORNed vehicle removed from private land?

[pedro1148393]

Hi, I work for a housing association and we have a car that has been dumped in one of our car parks for over 6 weeks. We do not believe the car is owned by a tenant and it is SORNed.

 

 

The land is owned and maintained by ourselves however we have been unable to identify the owner of the car.

 

 

Can anyone advise what we could do to get this moved?

[renegadeimp]

PCN check through local police for dumped/abandoned vehicle. They will get the details, then you can send a formal letter to the RK advising them it will be removed or will be disposed of. You could also be crafty and say that because it is on your land, you will be charging them storage fee's for every day it is there.

[Lucifa42]

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/abandoned-vehicles/

 

While your area may not be cornwall, the procedure will be the same. Find the appropriate page for your council and report it.

If you have no joy there (sometimes the RK is simply able to 'claim' the vehicle and thus the council can't do anything) then you'll need to fill out a V888 form from the DVLA and obtain the RKs details.

 

Write to them and inform them they have 14 days to remove the car, otherwise it will be removed by you - also fix a notice to the car. If 14 days pass then contact a towing company/scrap dealer and have the car removed.

 

More good advice to make sure you stay on the right side of the law.

 

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q441.htm

[pedro1148393]

Brilliant - cheers for the advice both.

[Conniff]

Should it get to the stage where it is towed, don't pay the towing company, tell them they can get their fee from scrapping or selling the car.

[TofuMan]

BUT FIRST OF ALL... don't you think you should be CERTAIN it does not belong to a resident? If they are a resident the legal issues would be totally different.

 

I would suggest rather than asking here, that if you work for a Housing Association you speak with you legal team. Check Schedule 2A of VERA 1994 very closely - a tenant will be entitled to keep the car there on a SORN, unless perhaps is is in breach of a specific agreement they have signed with the Housing Association.

 

Are any of your tenants co-habiting? Have any got a new boyfriend or girlfriend in the last 6 weeks?! Could they be 'looking after' the car for a friend by using their own 'allocation' of parking? There is no need to act aggressively or unreasonably towards someone who may not be intentionally taking advantage... until you know who owns the car and have ruled out your residents don't be mean ;-)

 

Personally, I would firstly l put a letter on the car (front and back windscreen wipers)- and maybe through residents letterboxes asking the owner to identify themselves to the Housing Authority as the car is 'at risk' of being removed if the owner cannot be identified. (Do not start making threats you can't carry out!)

 

Proceed with Caution

Edited April 27, 2015 by TofuMan
Grammar!

[Conniff]

So, is the car still there or have you managed to move it ??