What happens to my private reg?

[abcheetham]

Hi - My 911 C4S was listed for sale at £20,000 yesterday evening and I've had 4 people offer the asking price already and 9 emails!! Anyway, I'll take the best offer obviously but I wondered if anyone could let me know what happens about the private reg - do I remove it when it's sold or can they drive away and I just tell DVLA that I'm keeping it and the buyer has to change it themselves?

Not sold a car privately before so any pointers would be appreciated!

[marshalla]

Put it on retention now. https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registrati...

Many buyers will be put off by the extra delay if you have to swap it after the sale. Technically, if you sell the car with the number on it, the number goes to the new owner.

[AndrewEH1]

If you want the plate. Do not sell the car unless the plate is on retention.

You'll have no right to the plate if you sell the car with the plate still registered to that car.

[abcheetham]

Ah great thanks Guys thanks for that, DVLA say that so long as the buyer signs an agreement on the handling of the retention then all will be well legally and they'll have to change the plates once its authorised!

[David Hype]

^^^ What he said..^^^

Get your cherished number on retention now, as its so close to Christmas and takes a few days in the postal system. The DVLA will reissue you with a form entitling you to the cars original registration number.

Then you can take this form to your regional DVLA Centre and get the Road Tax and MOT (if required) changed over to the new number. The only way you can buy replacement number plates is with this documentation.

Then sell the car...

Reassigning your cherished number to the next vehicle is the reverse... You just use the DVLA retention certificate and the documentation from the new vehicle at your regional DVLA Centre.

Simples!

[mrdemon]

Some people will not want the faf, as they will want the v5 with the correct plate on it.

You now have to get the plate you want to sell the car back on and a new v5.

They need to insure the car on the correct plate, you should have taken the plate off 3 weeks ago.

I would not even look at a car with a private plate on it because of the hassle and the buyer now having to wait another 3 weeks.

You can ofcourse just sell the car with the private plate on it, I have many times.

[mrdemon]

David Hype said:

^^^ What he said..^^^

Get your cherished number on retention now, as its so close to Christmas and takes a few days in the postal system. The DVLA will reissue you with a form entitling you to the cars original registration number.

Then you can take this form to your regional DVLA Centre and get the Road Tax and MOT (if required) changed over to the new number. The only way you can buy replacement number plates is with this documentation.

Then sell the car...

Reassigning your cherished number to the next vehicle is the reverse... You just use the DVLA retention certificate and the documentation from the new vehicle at your regional DVLA Centre.

Simples!

All he DVLA centres have closed down, so not simples any more.

[mph1977]

AndrewEH1 said:

If you want the plate. Do not sell the car unless the plate is on retention.

You'll have no right to the plate if you sell the car with the plate still registered to that car.

this seems to have caught some people out before

you NEVER 'own' a registration , just the right to assign it; it remains the property of HMG via the DVLA/DVLNI, let a car go with the plate on it and the right to use that plate goes to the new owner /keeper

[abcheetham]

.....even if the buyer signs an agreement?

mph1977 said:

this seems to have caught some people out before

you NEVER 'own' a registration , just the right to assign it; it remains the property of HMG via the DVLA/DVLNI, let a car go with the plate on it and the right to use that plate goes to the new owner /keeper

[AndrewEH1]

abcheetham said:

.....even if the buyer signs an agreement?

Why risk it? There was a thread on here within the past two months where a chap had a similar issue. He pushed ahead with the sale with the plate still on the car and a verbal agreement that the plate would come back to him. The seller after a few days told him to do one. The DVLA were no help and I believe the guy lost the plate.

Obviously a verbal agreement is useless and something written with independent witnesses would be better.

But why risk it?

[mrdemon]

even if the buyer signs an agreement?

the issue is I would NOT sign anything incase it went wrong, I would also not want to take the car with the wrong reg on it.

I have bought cars with private plate on before and the seller has trusted me with doing every thing, so he gets his plate back, it's a royal pain in the arse and I would never do it again esp now DVLA centre are all closed.

And as a buyer I would want to see a V5 with the new correct reg on it, which could take weeks esp as it's xmas.

[IknowJoseph]

mrdemon said:

All he DVLA centres have closed down, so not simples any more.

Except I phoned the DVLA 30 minutes ago with a query about a private plate. They told me to call back on Christmas eve, so presumably not that closed down.

[mph1977]

IknowJoseph said:

mrdemon said:

All he DVLA centres have closed down, so not simples any more.

Except I phoned the DVLA 30 minutes ago with a query about a private plate. They told me to call back on Christmas eve, so presumably not that closed down.

so which Local Vehicle Licencing Office was that ?

[marshalla]

IknowJoseph said:

mrdemon said:

All he DVLA centres have closed down, so not simples any more.

Except I phoned the DVLA 30 minutes ago with a query about a private plate. They told me to call back on Christmas eve, so presumably not that closed down.

The LOCAL centres have all closed down. There's only Swansea left.

[IknowJoseph]

mph1977 said:

so which Local Vehicle Licencing Office was that ?

I phoned 0300 790 6801 and found them to be very helpful.

[AndrewEH1]

You used to be able to go to the local office, wait in a queue for about 10 mins and leave with all the correct paper work to transfer a plate over to a new car.

Now it takes a week or two.

[IknowJoseph]

AndrewEH1 said:

Now it takes a week or two.

10 working days for them to process, then the time it takes to send any forms out again, I'm told.

[mph1977]

IknowJoseph said:

mph1977 said:

so which Local Vehicle Licencing Office was that ?

I phoned 0300 790 6801 and found them to be very helpful.

i think you've missed the point , the LVLOs have closed, actual places with knowledgable people instead replaced with web based stuff that works for striahgtforward stuff and the phone drones who need to have points explained to them ( see the recent thread aobut voluntary surrender of licence on medical grounds )

[IknowJoseph]

mph1977 said:

i think you've missed the point , the LVLOs have closed, actual places with knowledgable people instead replaced with web based stuff that works for striahgtforward stuff and the phone drones who need to have points explained to them ( see the recent thread aobut voluntary surrender of licence on medical grounds )

Ok, ok, but I think the original advice to OP remains: he needs to get the plate on retention before sale and, even if the local offices have closed, there's still people that could be working on this at Swansea. This may take some time, however.

[Bennachie]

DON'T sell it with the plate on it if you want to retain it.