failure to register new owner details - is there a fine/penalty and what is it?

[primocat]

Hi all,

 

I went to re-tax car after 12 months tax was due to expire,

only to be told that although tax had been purchased on 25th October 2015,

that they had back-dated this to the beginning of October.

Not very pleased about this since I have effectively lost almost a month of tax!

 

 

However DVLA clearly don't care, and I imagine they make a lot of money off this discrepancy when a car changes hands.

 

 

luckily we had not been stopped during those 24 days that I thought we were covered.

 

 

When I rang the DVLA though,

it turns out that the reason they had not sent any reminders at the right time,

and that I had been left to remember the date myself,

was that they had not received the new keeper supplement from us via the post,

and therefore did not have our details as the new keepers.

 

 

They had apparently been informed that the car had been sold by the previous owner at the time.

We had given the old owner our details of course,

but this information at least is not on DVLA database relating to our car.

 

I was wondering though since we did send it a while back,

are there any penalties for this should we get stopped by the police in the meantime?

 

 

I did at some point phone the DVLA about the new log book, but back then they said that sometimes it takes a while to process, so ultimately I let it be and did not chase it again.

 

I am really not happy that the DVLA have washed their hands of the matter and simply say that we will need to get another form and pay an extra £25 since they or Royal Snail have lost the original form.

 

 

Is there any comeback on this, or would I need to have proof of posting or 'signed for' proof to qualify for any redress?

 

Also out of interest since it didn't happen to us, if we had been stopped during those 24 days of backdating, would there have been any way to avoid a fine/car getting impounded etc?

 

 

I have looked carefully at all the email and online notices of vehicle tax/proof of payment that I made copies of at the time , and it at no point says that it was only taxed from the beginning of the month!

 

 

It clearly says 12 months tax from 25/10/15.

 

Thanks

[Raykay]

The DVLA are notified of the change of keeper by the old keeper sending them the V5C with the new keepers details. You keep the New Keeper Supplement, not send it to the DVLA.

[king12345]

It seems that mail addressed to dvla is carefully selected by royal mail and burnt, unless is recorded delivery.

Hundred of cases on many forums online.

Unfortunately they have power to say that they never received the v5, so your only option is to pay the £25 and register the car in your name (send everything recorded delivery, well worth spending a couple of pounds to avoid more trouble).

[primocat]

So I sent them my bit of the form too (which it sounds like I shouldn't have needed to), but kept a photocopy, and they obviously got the original form sent by the old owner since they took him off their records. It seems though that they did not put my details on their computer - clearly it didn't get lost in post at all, and is probably some sort of clerical error, but I still have no way around this extra 25 quid?

 

 

[Raykay]

but I still have no way around this extra 25 quid?

 

Unfortunately not, only if you had kept the New Keeper Supplement and attached it to the V62 application form. It may also take about six weeks for them to send your V5C if they make enquiries of the old keeper.

[primocat]

Well I am not surprised, just annoyed that they can do this when it's obviously their fault in the first place.

 

Do you (or anyone else here) know what could happen if in the meantime I get stopped by the police when the vehicle is not registered in my name? Is it enough to say that the log book and my new keeper bit of the form were sent? I did also phone them many months ago to chase it, but at that point it was still within their usual processing times, so they told me just to wait.

[Raykay]

You need to apply for the V5C using form V62.

 

 

The instructions on the New Keeper Supplement are that it is to be kept by the new keeper and not sent to the DVLA, unless the new V5C is not received within 4 weeks, and then to apply for it free with the supplement and the form V62. As you don't have the supplement, it will cost £25.

 

 

One thing to check when you do receive your V5C is that they have not cancelled the vehicle licence and refunded the previous registered keeper.