Number Plate Retention

[chrisdicko]

Hi,
I going to be selling my car soon, and want to remove the private plate I currently have on. I was under the impression that I could go to my local DVLA office and get most of the paperwork done there.

But I have just phoned the DVLA and the lady I spoke to said you cannot go to a local office to do any of it and it all has to be done by post.
She said it will take 7-10 days to receive the new documents inc MOT and Tax disc (I think), along with a letter to say I can buy new/original plates and fit them. Then 2-4 weeks for the new V5C document to arrive.

2-4 weeks is a long time, as I'm sure a buyer wouldn't buy my car without the V5 surely? Or if he did he would be a trustworthy guy!


Is the lady at the DVLA correct in saying I cannot go to the local office?



Thanks
Chris

[MrReg]

chrisdicko said:

Hi,
I going to be selling my car soon, and want to remove the private plate I currently have on. I was under the impression that I could go to my local DVLA office and get most of the paperwork done there.

But I have just phoned the DVLA and the lady I spoke to said you cannot go to a local office to do any of it and it all has to be done by post.
She said it will take 7-10 days to receive the new documents inc MOT and Tax disc (I think), along with a letter to say I can buy new/original plates and fit them. Then 2-4 weeks for the new V5C document to arrive.

2-4 weeks is a long time, as I'm sure a buyer wouldn't buy my car without the V5 surely? Or if he did he would be a trustworthy guy!


Is the lady at the DVLA correct in saying I cannot go to the local office?



Thanks
Chris

You can go to your local office, and some will give you the paperwork and some won't.
The V5C will always take a couple of weeks to come through though.

[HTP99]

Private plates are more hassle that they're worth, the DVLA love selling them and making loads from them and then make it as difficult as possible to either transfer them or put them on retention.

[RESSE]

chrisdicko said:

Hi,
I going to be selling my car soon, and want to remove the private plate I currently have on. I was under the impression that I could go to my local DVLA office and get most of the paperwork done there.

But I have just phoned the DVLA and the lady I spoke to said you cannot go to a local office to do any of it and it all has to be done by post.
She said it will take 7-10 days to receive the new documents inc MOT and Tax disc (I think), along with a letter to say I can buy new/original plates and fit them. Then 2-4 weeks for the new V5C document to arrive.

2-4 weeks is a long time, as I'm sure a buyer wouldn't buy my car without the V5 surely? Or if he did he would be a trustworthy guy!


Is the lady at the DVLA correct in saying I cannot go to the local office?

Thanks
Chris

Chris

I did the above last week for my wife's private plate.

Monday of last week sent the V5, MOT certificate and V317 to local DVLA office (posted via Royal Mail Special Delivery and 3 days later received revised MOT certificate and tax disc showing original registration number.

2 days later we received the Private Plate Retention Certificate.

Monday of this week the V5 arrived from Swansea.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_...

http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/contactus/localoffices/...

[chrisdicko]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies, thats great

I will try to post everything out today then to my local DVLA office and hopefully it will be as quick turn around as possible.

I've only ever let garages sort this for me before, hence not really knowing what to do now I am selling privately.


Thanks for the help.
Chris

[Sir Bagalot]

And do not, repeat do not, sell the car until you get the new V5 back. If you do then remember it's the new owner that owns the rights to the plate on the car and not you.

[chrisdicko]

Really? When I spoke to the DVLA she said I could sell the car (with the new MOT/Tax Disc) with the original plate back on and send the V5 to the new owner once it arrives? Was that bad advice from her really then?

[Galileo]

Don't worry. Once the DVLA have accepted the transfer The number is yours and the new car owner has no rights to it. To make sure this happens it is better to hand the retention paperwork over at the local office. They should check it for you and pass it to the back office. The new disc and MOT will be sent to you, which you should then send off to the new owner. If he doesn't change plates and tax discs then it will be him breaking the law, not you.
If you post it to them it will take a few days for them to post it back to you if there are any errors in it. if the car has gone in the meantime things could get awkward if the errors arrise from the information taken from the car, such as incorrect tax disc code etc. The nimber plate is the property of the registered keeper (ie you) until the car is re-registered into another name.

[AdeTuono]

HTP99 said:

Private plates are more hassle that they're worth, the DVLA love selling them and making loads from them and then make it as difficult as possible to either transfer them or put them on retention.

What's difficult about filling in a form, posting it, with a cheque, to DVLA and waiting a few days for the authorisation letter?

[HTP99]

AdeTuono said:

HTP99 said:

Private plates are more hassle that they're worth, the DVLA love selling them and making loads from them and then make it as difficult as possible to either transfer them or put them on retention.

What's difficult about filling in a form, posting it, with a cheque, to DVLA and waiting a few days for the authorisation letter?

And then waiting 10 working days for all the paperwork, new MOT and tax disc and a little longer for the V5c.

You used to be able to take everything along to a main office and they would do it there and then.

In the age of everything being electronic dont you think using the post to start the ball rolling is a bit antiquated?

So you post it off and want to find out if it has actually been received, so you are stuck on the phone for ages, or an automated message asks you to call back as they are "experiencing a high volume of calls", or you press the wrong number for the dept as its not really very clear on the automated response that asks you to press 1 for his or 2 for that.

Edited by HTP99 on Friday 9th November 17:06

[AdeTuono]

HTP99 said:

AdeTuono said:

HTP99 said:

Private plates are more hassle that they're worth, the DVLA love selling them and making loads from them and then make it as difficult as possible to either transfer them or put them on retention.

What's difficult about filling in a form, posting it, with a cheque, to DVLA and waiting a few days for the authorisation letter?

And then waiting 10 working days for all the paperwork, new MOT and tax disc and a little longer for the V5c.

You used to be able to take everything along to a main office and they would do it there and then.

In the age of everything being electronic dont you think using the post to start the ball rolling is a bit antiquated?

So you post it off and want to find out if it has actually been received, so you are stuck on the phone for ages, or an automated message asks you to call back as they are "experiencing a high volume of calls", or you press the wrong number for the dept as its not really very clear on the automated response that asks you to press 1 for his or 2 for that.

Edited by HTP99 on Friday 9th November 17:06

Sent all my retention documents off last Thursday, got new tax disc & MOT through on Tuesday this week and the V5 came through yesterday. Can't see the problem. Maybe I'm just lucky, but having done the same thing probably six times in the last 15 months, I've yet to have a problem.