Abandoned car on private property.

[Rot box]

How long ago did the scrap man take it?

Worth a phone call to find out if it's been crushed yet, if not explain the situation and they can charge him to get it back

[bitchstewie]

Freddy88FM said:

Thanks all for the replies. My mum is almost 70 and interpreted towing as 'getting rid of'. She is not the kind of person to make it someone else's problem on the road. Though I did suggest next time something like this happens she should store it somewhere.

From a quick Google https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q441.htm

I can see your mums frustration, and if the guy is being threatening that's clearly not on, but I would be trying to confirm if she's acted within the law with what she did.

[eatcustard]

I dont recall the OPs mum selling it for scrap, the scrap man must of taken it off his own bat

Edited by eatcustard on Sunday 30th August 13:21

[anonymous-user]

eatcustard said:

I dont recall the OPs mum selling it for scrap, the scrap man must of taken it off his own bat

He was only moving it to a 'secure' parking area
http://dailym.ai/1X06EDK

Rot box said:

How long ago did the scrap man take it?
Worth a phone call to find out if it's been crushed yet, if not explain the situation and they can charge him to get it back

And at £10-£20 a day 'storage' fee's the ignorant car dumper should move fast to stop fees racking up for the secure storage of his car that the OP's mum kindly arranged

[technodup]

I wish your Mum stayed in my block. We have a car park (with barrier) for 9 cars (one for each flat).

An old guy in the block has had a Hyundai van and a Focus sat there forever. The van since I moved here (9yrs) and the Focus soon after. Neither have moved in that time.

A few weeks ago Vosa were round and clamped a Bedford Rascal style van on the street, untaxed sticker across the screen. Couple of days later it's found itself into my car park next to the other two rotting heaps of st. Police said not to touch it, factor says they'll deal with it but they won't.

We've had 3.14keys asking to buy them and it's obviously not the best sight in what is a nice area. One of these days I'll do exactly what your Mum did. Wido bds.

[Red Devil]

Motorrad said:

Your Mother could have created a lot of trouble for herself.

Merely having it moved a short distance off the property, providing no damage was caused to it in the process, would have been OK.
Interpreting the police advice re 'move' as authority to 'dispose of' (to a scrap merchant) wasn't a great move.

The key question is whether she can be deemed to be a bailee for the car.*
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1977/32/conten...
If so, the question then arises whether she has exercised due diligence in trying to trace the owner.
Does the note on the car constitute sufficient notice per Schedule 1?
If she can't be deemed a bailee, then she has laid herself wide open to a claim by the owner for his loss.**

  * We need BV72 for this.
 ** FWIW I have a P-reg car which is worth considerably more than £40 (the more so if I were to break it for parts).

HTP99 said:

I'm amazed that a scrap company took the car with no V5c.

I agree. No reputable authorised vehicle dismantler would do so without adequate documentation.
If the V5C is unavailable, then it can be done but other supporting paperwork would be sought.
http://www.scrapcarformoney.co.uk/faq.asp#16

A cowboy outfit otoh...

eatcustard said:

I dont recall the OPs mum selling it for scrap, the scrap man must of taken it off his own bat

I think you need better recall or a trip to the optician.

Freddy88FM said:

Two weeks later my mum arranged for a local scrap firm to come and take the car for £40.

[Freddy88FM]

Thanks again all for the above.

It transpires the car has been untaxed since March 15th. So unless he trailered it in to the space then he drove it in illegally.

Additionally the guy claims he couldn't take it away because he had a flat tire. Not sure why he didn't call after multiple notes and 5 weeks to say this. Or change it one afternoon with a spare.

We've called the scrap merchant. They are going to 'hold' the car. But it has been dented in the process of removal. So that's annoying.

Either way. Will keep you all updated.

[Countdown]

Freddy88FM said:

Thanks again all for the above.

It transpires the car has been untaxed since March 15th. So unless he trailered it in to the space then he drove it in illegally.

I wonder if he's SORN'd it and decided to dump it on your mum's land in the hope that it would be ignored but safe from DVLA clampers.

Freddy88FM said:

Additionally the guy claims he couldn't take it away because he had a flat tire. Not sure why he didn't call after multiple notes and 5 weeks to say this. Or change it one afternoon with a spare.

Possibly because he's a lying toerag who can't take responsibility for his own actions.

Freddy88FM said:

We've called the scrap merchant. They are going to 'hold' the car. But it has been dented in the process of removal. So that's annoyingKarma.

Edited for accuracy

[anonymous-user]

Freddy88FM said:

But it was dented by vandals prior to the process of removal it seems.

Either way. Will keep you all updated.

That reads better

[Ian Geary]

So, now you know the car hasn't been picked clean, your Mum has essentially had it removed to a storage area.

Should the next step be: Inform owner he'll be charged storage per day for max 2 weeks. If (only if) he pays, the money used to put car back in the same condition?

But I have little sympathy for the car owner, especially given the lack of road tax.

[jimmybobby]

My advice would be to tell him who removed it and advise he gets in touch with them as they are storing it and tell the owner any further contact will be recorded and classed as harrasment which will be passed to police.

Please bear in mind I am not a lawyer but she was as i understand it within her rights to have it removed and placed somewhere secure. Any charges incurred at the secure storage area are for the owner to deal with.

[duckwhistle]

Similar situation arose here, 'Terribly sorry old chap, will have yard Manager flogged etc'. Agreed value with scrote type owner who left happy anticipating a cheque. We sent remmitance statement, 'Car value £800 ,2 months parking £805 ,please remit your £5 by return'. Total silence, scrote still owes the £5. You set any charge you like.

[bitchstewie]

Freddy88FM said:

We've called the scrap merchant. They are going to 'hold' the car. But it has been dented in the process of removal. So that's annoying.

It probably got caught by another car in the car park or something.

[anonymous-user]

I am suprised scrap man might start charging storage fees. I would tell the bloke to go collect from scrapman and to no longer contact your mum.

[photosnob]

If the mother calls the police I'd hope any self respecting police officer would arrest her. What she has done is theft... She has sold something that doesn't belong to her. Plain and simple.

I'll remember that it's okay to help people get away with criminal offences next time by telling them what lies to tell. I'll offer helpful advice on how to get cheaper insurance and get away with it as well.

The fact that any of you hypocrites are telling the old girl to call the police is astonishing. Op it's your mum, she decided to sell someone's property so that it could be destroyed - so tell her to sort it herself. If you want to deal with it go and see the bloke yourself and admit what she has done. I'd take some big friends with you though.

[eldar]

photosnob said:

If the mother calls the police I'd hope any self respecting police officer would arrest her. What she has done is theft... She has sold something that doesn't belong to her. Plain and simple.

I'll remember that it's okay to help people get away with criminal offences next time by telling them what lies to tell. I'll offer helpful advice on how to get cheaper insurance and get away with it as well.

The fact that any of you hypocrites are telling the old girl to call the police is astonishing. Op it's your mum, she decided to sell someone's property so that it could be destroyed - so tell her to sort it herself. If you want to deal with it go and see the bloke yourself and admit what she has done. I'd take some big friends with you though.

Hypocrite.

[Countdown]

photosnob said:

If the mother calls the police I'd hope any self respecting police officer would arrest her. What she has done is theft... She has sold something that doesn't belong to her. Plain and simple.

What SHOULD she have done?

[photosnob]

Countdown said:

What SHOULD she have done?

Perhaps what the Police have said and moved the car... Not sold it to a scrap man. I would have no problem with people moving my car if they did so with a bit of consideration. That is fine. Or even just leaving it alone - you know... She might lose out on a bit of income, but going forward she would look into legal ways to stop that happening.

However I draw the line at people selling my property to a scrap man. I also draw the line to people intentionally moving it onto double yellow lines near a junction.

I think it's very very easy for people to say things like this on the internet. If it happened in reality you'd be having bricks coming through the windows. I don't park my car in a private parking spot for months... But neither do I vandalise or steal other people's property if they inconvenience me. If I was to do either of these things I'd expect bad things to happen to me... And I certainly wouldn't be calling the Police or complaining when it did.

[2.5pi]

photosnob said:

Perhaps what the Police have said and moved the car... Not sold it to a scrap man. I would have no problem with people moving my car if they did so with a bit of consideration. That is fine. Or even just leaving it alone - you know... She might lose out on a bit of income, but going forward she would look into legal ways to stop that happening.

However I draw the line at people selling my property to a scrap man. I also draw the line to people intentionally moving it onto double yellow lines near a junction.

I think it's very very easy for people to say things like this on the internet. If it happened in reality you'd be having bricks coming through the windows. I don't park my car in a private parking spot for months... But neither do I vandalise or steal other people's property if they inconvenience me. If I was to do either of these things I'd expect bad things to happen to me... And I certainly wouldn't be calling the Police or complaining when it did.

Jeez you're a bag of laughs..

OP's mum was quite within her rights IMHO , if you illegally park a car on private property for weeks you deserve all you get.

[bitchstewie]

2.5pi said:

Jeez you're a bag of laughs..

OP's mum was quite within her rights IMHO , if you illegally park a car on private property for weeks you deserve all you get.

If you'd parked a car on someone's land for weeks you wouldn't expect to turn up and find a note saying "Sorry, sold it for scrap, it's probably been crushed".

If you did and that happened I highly doubt you'd simply say "Oh ok lesson learned I'll just go buy another car now".

The difficulty here is that one set of selfish actions don't deserve another set.

The OPs mum could have easily asked for it to be towed and left anywhere where it's legal to park and could then have washed her hands of it.

I don't dispute she may have thought she was doing the right thing, and you need a way of dealing with idiots who do just park on others property, but that doesn't make what she did right.