Abandoned car on private property - disposal options?
Discussion
Slightly bizarre situation, but I'm sure someone else has had similar before....
Private car park, closed at night with automatic gates. A couple of weeks ago quite a nice car arrived, without number plates and has been there ever since.....
Call to the Police with chassis number has shown they have no interest in it, suggesting it's not stolen.
It appears to have been abandoned, but without a number plate there is no way of contacting the current recorded keeper via DVLA.
A search of the car has revealed documents with a private registration number that appear to tally with the make and model of car, but that number is now registered to a different make and model of car that had a new V5C issued mid-July.... so it looks like the owner has bought a shiny new car, simply parked his relatively nice old car in our private car park, pulled off the plates and walked away.....
We do not want the car left in our private car park. What is the right way to tick all the boxes and legally dispose of it? and no, we can't drag it out of the car park and leave it on the highway.
Private car park, closed at night with automatic gates. A couple of weeks ago quite a nice car arrived, without number plates and has been there ever since.....
Call to the Police with chassis number has shown they have no interest in it, suggesting it's not stolen.
It appears to have been abandoned, but without a number plate there is no way of contacting the current recorded keeper via DVLA.
A search of the car has revealed documents with a private registration number that appear to tally with the make and model of car, but that number is now registered to a different make and model of car that had a new V5C issued mid-July.... so it looks like the owner has bought a shiny new car, simply parked his relatively nice old car in our private car park, pulled off the plates and walked away.....
We do not want the car left in our private car park. What is the right way to tick all the boxes and legally dispose of it? and no, we can't drag it out of the car park and leave it on the highway.
Possession of V5 does not equal ownership... so just applying for a V5 isn't the solution.
I need a fully above board, legally sound solution to removing a vehicle that appears to have been abandoned on private property. I need to be mindful that the current owner may not consider it abandoned though, hence I would imagine we need to contact them to tell them we are disposing of their car to recover our costs in establishing who owned it and the cost of having it removed.
Can't drag it onto the road as it's single track - it would block the highway.
The difficulty is without any number plates I am struggling to establish how I can identify the car and then the owner.
I need a fully above board, legally sound solution to removing a vehicle that appears to have been abandoned on private property. I need to be mindful that the current owner may not consider it abandoned though, hence I would imagine we need to contact them to tell them we are disposing of their car to recover our costs in establishing who owned it and the cost of having it removed.
Can't drag it onto the road as it's single track - it would block the highway.
The difficulty is without any number plates I am struggling to establish how I can identify the car and then the owner.
larrylamb11 said:
Possession of V5 does not equal ownership... so just applying for a V5 isn't the solution.
I need a fully above board, legally sound solution to removing a vehicle that appears to have been abandoned on private property. I need to be mindful that the current owner may not consider it abandoned though, hence I would imagine we need to contact them to tell them we are disposing of their car to recover our costs in establishing who owned it and the cost of having it removed.
Can't drag it onto the road as it's single track - it would block the highway.
The difficulty is without any number plates I am struggling to establish how I can identify the car and then the owner.
Can you not drag it further to a wider road, that isn't single trackI need a fully above board, legally sound solution to removing a vehicle that appears to have been abandoned on private property. I need to be mindful that the current owner may not consider it abandoned though, hence I would imagine we need to contact them to tell them we are disposing of their car to recover our costs in establishing who owned it and the cost of having it removed.
Can't drag it onto the road as it's single track - it would block the highway.
The difficulty is without any number plates I am struggling to establish how I can identify the car and then the owner.
Put a warning of removal on it, if anyone has an interest in it, and is keeping an eye on it, they will see it.
You can scrap it on Vin, the scrapper may require a document signed, though not all will do it.
If in any doubt ask Citizen Advice, but I think they will tell you to put a notice of removal on it. How long for I do not know.
Hpi or such like, on the vin number, might give you some clues, going through barriers with no number plates suggests they wanted it gone. Maybe subject of a bogus insurance claim, and the car being found can speed up a claim. Who knows.
How did you contact plod? through a civilian manned switchboard ? If so I doubt they even checked the VIN, and dismissed it as a civil matter and your problem.
You can scrap it on Vin, the scrapper may require a document signed, though not all will do it.
If in any doubt ask Citizen Advice, but I think they will tell you to put a notice of removal on it. How long for I do not know.
Hpi or such like, on the vin number, might give you some clues, going through barriers with no number plates suggests they wanted it gone. Maybe subject of a bogus insurance claim, and the car being found can speed up a claim. Who knows.
How did you contact plod? through a civilian manned switchboard ? If so I doubt they even checked the VIN, and dismissed it as a civil matter and your problem.
There is a strict procedure to be followed.
Our local council used to put a sticker on the car and then use a private company.
https://www.qualitybailiffs.co.uk/news/trespassers...
Our local council used to put a sticker on the car and then use a private company.
https://www.qualitybailiffs.co.uk/news/trespassers...
vikingaero said:
The VIN should be displayed in the near side lower area of the windscreen. Failing that do a YouTube search on how to pop the bonnet on that make and model of car.
Then ask the DVLA and once they reply drop it off at the original owners house.
OP already has the chassis number / VIN. See the OP.Then ask the DVLA and once they reply drop it off at the original owners house.
You say you know a former registration number so DVLA will be able to identify the vehicle and owner from that information. Send them the old registration number and VIN with a letter explaining the circumstances. Then you can bill the owner for daily parking at £50 a day, or whatever.
Tommo87 said:
Strange that the car is unlocked though.
Probably a druggie drop off / collection point. Put a 1p coin in the door handle so that the handle will hold the coin in place but it will drop out, unnoticeably, when the door is next opened.
If the coin is not there next time you look, then someone has been in it.
Useful links - many thanks.
Whilst the vehicle has no number plates on it, I have now established what the correct registration number for it is.... and it shows as taxed and MoT'd until next year, which is even more bizarre! Not showing as insured though.....
A new V5 for it was issued in the middle of July, which corresponds with the issue date for the V5 of the new car now wearing this one's old personalised reg. number.
As above, we will be placing a notice of removal on it and going through the process outlined by 'Quality Bailiffs' above to ensure we have ticked all the boxes to dispose of it using the correct procedure....
Has anyone written to the DVLA requesting recorded keeper details in this sort of situation before?
Whilst the vehicle has no number plates on it, I have now established what the correct registration number for it is.... and it shows as taxed and MoT'd until next year, which is even more bizarre! Not showing as insured though.....
A new V5 for it was issued in the middle of July, which corresponds with the issue date for the V5 of the new car now wearing this one's old personalised reg. number.
As above, we will be placing a notice of removal on it and going through the process outlined by 'Quality Bailiffs' above to ensure we have ticked all the boxes to dispose of it using the correct procedure....
Has anyone written to the DVLA requesting recorded keeper details in this sort of situation before?
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