Buying a used private plate
Discussion
Hi all, quick question regarding 'Grantee' & 'Nominee' details for anyone who knows about Personalised Number Plates.
I've just bought one from a private seller who advertised it online. I presumed I'd just get a retention certificate in my name because I don't yet want to assign the plate to my car. Instead I might put it on my next car, or sit on it and decide in about 3 months time. Anyway, yesterday I received the V778 form from the DVLA which the seller arranged to have sent to me. In the Grantee section the form has the seller's name with my address, seemingly by mistake. In the Nominee section it just has my name. The form does say that 'The Assignment Fee Has Already Been Paid'.
The question is, how should it look if I just want to hold the plates without assigning it to a car yet, or is that even possible? If I get the Grantee updated with my name can I only do that by having a car to assign the plate on to? And is it true there would be a fee to update or correct the form?
Thus is a bit confusing because I've looked all over the DVLA and there's no info I can find about this scenario. Everything seems to be about buying a plate and immediately assigning it to a car in one process.
Thanks in advance for any info.
I've just bought one from a private seller who advertised it online. I presumed I'd just get a retention certificate in my name because I don't yet want to assign the plate to my car. Instead I might put it on my next car, or sit on it and decide in about 3 months time. Anyway, yesterday I received the V778 form from the DVLA which the seller arranged to have sent to me. In the Grantee section the form has the seller's name with my address, seemingly by mistake. In the Nominee section it just has my name. The form does say that 'The Assignment Fee Has Already Been Paid'.
The question is, how should it look if I just want to hold the plates without assigning it to a car yet, or is that even possible? If I get the Grantee updated with my name can I only do that by having a car to assign the plate on to? And is it true there would be a fee to update or correct the form?
Thus is a bit confusing because I've looked all over the DVLA and there's no info I can find about this scenario. Everything seems to be about buying a plate and immediately assigning it to a car in one process.
Thanks in advance for any info.
You are unable to change the grantees details (unless they can prove they changed their name) so the seller has done the right thing.
As the plates are assigned online you don’t even need to be grantee or nominee to assign a plate,
Just have the number. Once assigned you will become the grantee if you ever retain the plate.
The only concern I ever have about the system is the original grantee can always call DVLA and get a replacement certificate and assign the plate or sell it again.
As the plates are assigned online you don’t even need to be grantee or nominee to assign a plate,
Just have the number. Once assigned you will become the grantee if you ever retain the plate.
The only concern I ever have about the system is the original grantee can always call DVLA and get a replacement certificate and assign the plate or sell it again.
The seller has done what they can. The only way to get a certificate with you as grantee is to put it on one of your cars and then take it off again.
There is some risk until you assign the plate as the seller doesn’t need a new certificate to put it on a car, they can do it with a record of the certificate number. Depends how much you trust the seller.
There is some risk until you assign the plate as the seller doesn’t need a new certificate to put it on a car, they can do it with a record of the certificate number. Depends how much you trust the seller.
Thank you both for clarification. That makes sense then as there seems to be no process for simply selling on the right to a private plate without having it physically assigned to a car. Since, according to the form the Grantee hasn't given up the right to the number plate at all and can still assign it or sell it to someone else. It begs the question what is the value in having my name as a Nominee at all.
Of course this is all theoretical and I'm fairly confident the seller isn't going to stitch me up, but the fact is I can't be sure and there's no real legal means in place for fully transferring a private plate to another owner.
And a follow up question: If I was to sell this private plate on now, without assigning it to my car at all, would that even be possible, since I just a Nominee not a Grantee?
Of course this is all theoretical and I'm fairly confident the seller isn't going to stitch me up, but the fact is I can't be sure and there's no real legal means in place for fully transferring a private plate to another owner.
And a follow up question: If I was to sell this private plate on now, without assigning it to my car at all, would that even be possible, since I just a Nominee not a Grantee?
Muddle238 said:
I went through this recently, in the end I decided to just assign the plate to a car. I also wondered about the grantee/nominee details but this seems to be fairly standard practice. To be sure you can assign the plate to a vehicle, then put on retention again.
OK, thanks. I might have to do that sooner than I originally wanted to. But then if I take it off soon afterwards presumably there's another £80 fee to pay?Hi all, just reviving this thread as I'm about to do this procedure and have hit a slight hitch.
So I have both cars now. I intend to remove private plate (Plate 1) from first car (car 1) and assign it to new car (car 2). At the same time I would like the new plate (plate 2) to go onto Car 1. I just attempted to do this online but as soon as I put in the details of Car 1 the web form to remove the existing plate it said "This registration number cannot be retained online" and told me to send in form V317. The thing is, using this form you can send in the new car (car 2) details too and have the swap completed in one go. However it's possible to go even further and also send in the retention certificate (V778) of the plate that I bought and have this put onto Car 1 at the same time without waiting for a new V5C with default plate to arrive first.
Now, given that I have this 'fudged' V778 form with plate seller's name as the Grantee would anyone advise that I go ahead and send this in to the DVLA with a signature? Or would that be potentially subject to investigation rejected? I could just wait util the new V5C arrives and then do it online if it's too much of a risk.
So I have both cars now. I intend to remove private plate (Plate 1) from first car (car 1) and assign it to new car (car 2). At the same time I would like the new plate (plate 2) to go onto Car 1. I just attempted to do this online but as soon as I put in the details of Car 1 the web form to remove the existing plate it said "This registration number cannot be retained online" and told me to send in form V317. The thing is, using this form you can send in the new car (car 2) details too and have the swap completed in one go. However it's possible to go even further and also send in the retention certificate (V778) of the plate that I bought and have this put onto Car 1 at the same time without waiting for a new V5C with default plate to arrive first.
Now, given that I have this 'fudged' V778 form with plate seller's name as the Grantee would anyone advise that I go ahead and send this in to the DVLA with a signature? Or would that be potentially subject to investigation rejected? I could just wait util the new V5C arrives and then do it online if it's too much of a risk.
Wooda80 said:
Your V778 form has not been fudged. It's correctly set up to allow the registration number to be assigned to a vehicle registered to either the Grantee or the Nominee. You appear to be doing everything correctly
OK, thanks. I just want to make sure the DVLA aren't going to look at my form as fraudulent and reject it. The Grantee name that appears on the form is the name of the seller that sold me the plate, but the address of the Grantee is my address. I'm named as the Nominee. When I submit this form along with all my other paperwork that will all be clear to the DVLA, and also the fact that the form states "the Grantee (not Nominee) MUST sign in the box below", but this will obviously be my signature, not his.Do they routinely process forms like this and pass them off, or is there a risk?
Wooda80 said:
Yes, it will be fine.
They have no sample signature to compare it to
ETA - Sign it with a mark that cannot easily be read as your name, obviously.
OK, thanks, I think I'll do it this way as it'll be over in just one set of forms without a drawn out back and forth. They have no sample signature to compare it to
ETA - Sign it with a mark that cannot easily be read as your name, obviously.
Edited by Wooda80 on Monday 13th May 21:04
The alternative slower/safer way is just to let them return the first V5C with default plates reassigned to the car, and then when it arrives "Apply to assign a number" online using my V778 and waiting again to receive a new updated V5C. But I think I can't afford to wait that long - it could be 6 weeks before the final V5C arrives.
From earlier in the thread:
Scrump said:
The seller has done what they can. The only way to get a certificate with you as grantee is to put it on one of your cars and then take it off again.
There is some risk until you assign the plate as the seller doesn’t need a new certificate to put it on a car, they can do it with a record of the certificate number. Depends how much you trust the seller.
There is some risk until you assign the plate as the seller doesn’t need a new certificate to put it on a car, they can do it with a record of the certificate number. Depends how much you trust the seller.
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