Unable to tax car from new keeper slip
Discussion
A friend swapped his spare E39 3.0i BMW for an X5 3.0d a couple of weeks ago. He was given the new keeper slip by the guy he swapped with.
New car had no MOT, so it was kept off the road. MOT was done last week, but he decided not to drive it until today to save a month's tax.
He tried to tax it on line this morning, but it looks like the seller had already applied for a new V5, which presumably makes the previous new keeper slip invalid?
Presumably his only option now is to apply for a new V5 (paying £25) and waiting until it turns up before he can tax and use the car? Someone told him that it takes 6 weeks to get a V5 if the new keeper slip isn't valid?
New car had no MOT, so it was kept off the road. MOT was done last week, but he decided not to drive it until today to save a month's tax.
He tried to tax it on line this morning, but it looks like the seller had already applied for a new V5, which presumably makes the previous new keeper slip invalid?
Presumably his only option now is to apply for a new V5 (paying £25) and waiting until it turns up before he can tax and use the car? Someone told him that it takes 6 weeks to get a V5 if the new keeper slip isn't valid?
clockworks said:
He tried to tax it on line this morning, but it looks like the seller had already applied for a new V5, which presumably makes the previous new keeper slip invalid?
This makes no sense whatsoever. Why would the seller apply for a new V5C for a car he has just parted with to your friend?clockworks said:
Presumably his only option now is to apply for a new V5 (paying £25) and waiting until it turns up before he can tax and use the car? Someone told him that it takes 6 weeks to get a V5 if the new keeper slip isn't valid?
The reason for that is that the DVLA has to write to the previous RK to confirm they no longer have an interest in the vehicle.https://www.gov.uk/car-tax-disc-without-v11-remind...
If you're the current (in DVLA's records) RK just needing a replacement V5C it's much quicker.
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-log-book
Both of the above should be irrelevant where it's simply a change of RK for both parties.
There is no obvious reason why a car can't be taxed online if your friend has a valid MOT together with the V5C/2 New Keeper slip.
Before spending any money, tell him to try taxing it at a Post Office. Take the V5C/2 green slip and the MOT Certificate.
You don't need a physical insurance Certificate (this is checked electronically), but get your friend to do so first - http://stayinsured.askmid.com/about-askMID.html
The last time I bought a car it took about 10 days for the V5C in my name to turn up. The Christmas/New Year break may extend that time frame.
A relevant question though is has the seller notified the DVLA of the change of RK?* And if so, was it done online or by snail mail?
Either way, until he/she does so the DVLA won't issue a new V5C in your friend's name.
The same applies in reverse - i.e. to the 'sale' your friend made to the other person.
* Which is their resposibility.
The car has changed hands twice since it was last properly registered. The chap my friend bought it from had never registered it in his name, just had the green slip. The seller was a friend of a friend of my friend, so he took hm at his word that it was kosher. Not something I would've done, but another of his friends did an HPI check and it came back clear.
I think he was blinded by pound signs when he did the deal, so wasn't as careful as he should have been. The E39 owed him £300. He bought it to break, but it was too good for that, just a couple of simple repairs. Cost him £300 to get the X5 through the MOT - 2 tyres, drop links and a CV gaiter. Already been offered £1500 for it.
He's just told me that he managed to find a post office that was open today, and taxed it there with no problems. Just needs to wait for the V5, although the chap in the post office told him he might have to apply by post if he doesn't get it within 2 weeks.
I think he was blinded by pound signs when he did the deal, so wasn't as careful as he should have been. The E39 owed him £300. He bought it to break, but it was too good for that, just a couple of simple repairs. Cost him £300 to get the X5 through the MOT - 2 tyres, drop links and a CV gaiter. Already been offered £1500 for it.
He's just told me that he managed to find a post office that was open today, and taxed it there with no problems. Just needs to wait for the V5, although the chap in the post office told him he might have to apply by post if he doesn't get it within 2 weeks.
clockworks said:
The car has changed hands twice since it was last properly registered. The chap my friend bought it from had never registered it in his name, just had the green slip. The seller was a friend of a friend of my friend, so he took hm at his word that it was kosher. Not something I would've done, but another of his friends did an HPI check and it came back clear.
I think he was blinded by pound signs when he did the deal, so wasn't as careful as he should have been. The E39 owed him £300. He bought it to break, but it was too good for that, just a couple of simple repairs. Cost him £300 to get the X5 through the MOT - 2 tyres, drop links and a CV gaiter. Already been offered £1500 for it.
He's just told me that he managed to find a post office that was open today, and taxed it there with no problems. Just needs to wait for the V5, although the chap in the post office told him he might have to apply by post if he doesn't get it within 2 weeks.
Now you provide some relevant, and pretty key, information that wasn't in your original post. I think he was blinded by pound signs when he did the deal, so wasn't as careful as he should have been. The E39 owed him £300. He bought it to break, but it was too good for that, just a couple of simple repairs. Cost him £300 to get the X5 through the MOT - 2 tyres, drop links and a CV gaiter. Already been offered £1500 for it.
He's just told me that he managed to find a post office that was open today, and taxed it there with no problems. Just needs to wait for the V5, although the chap in the post office told him he might have to apply by post if he doesn't get it within 2 weeks.
The DVLA don't care who actually pays for the tax provided they get the money.
I doubt that the Post Office does either. Nor am I convinced that it process changes of RK names and adresses.
As I mentioned, I'll bet he won't get a V5C in his name unless/until the DVLA are notified (by the previous RK) that he is the new one.
(whether online or via the return of the previous V5C by snail mail)
He also needs to be mindful that someone else doesn't get the tax refunded if/when that eventually happens.
If the car has gone through two unregistered keepers then it may still be in the name of the person before them.
Though that begs another question. Why hasn't that person notified the DVLA that they are no longer the RK?
I would. Don't fancy getting someone else's NIPs, parking fines/invoices, etc. etc.
There is absolutely no way I would buy a vehicle from anyone if the only registration documentation in their possession is the V5C/2.
Because the way the DVLA operates there are far too many opportunities for potential grief down the line.
I can't really disagree that my friend should have been more careful. I pointed out to him last night that, should he sell the car, the tax refund would go to the last registered keeper.
He has now got the name of the person who originally sold the car, and contacted him through Facebook. He's Eastern European, registered the car in his name, but sold it with the old V5 before receiving the new one in his name. He has told my friend that he will try and find the current V5.
He has now got the name of the person who originally sold the car, and contacted him through Facebook. He's Eastern European, registered the car in his name, but sold it with the old V5 before receiving the new one in his name. He has told my friend that he will try and find the current V5.
clockworks said:
I can't really disagree that my friend should have been more careful. I pointed out to him last night that, should he sell the car, the tax refund would go to the last registered keeper.
Not necessarily. He might well end up being in the mire well before then and be done for driving an untaxed car. See below. clockworks said:
He has now got the name of the person who originally sold the car, and contacted him through Facebook. He's Eastern European, registered the car in his name, but sold it with the old V5 before receiving the new one in his name. He has told my friend that he will try and find the current V5.
'Kin 'ell: it gets more complex each time you post! I'm having a bit of difficulty getting my head around what you're saying here. Why would this person have 'the old V5'? Do you really mean the V5C/2 New Keeper slip? That's all he should have had until the V5C in his name turned up. If so, then the V5C/2 which your friend received is likely to be the one from the RK before this Eastern European chap.If/when the DVLA record is actually updated to your friend's name he might find that any remaining months of unused VED (which he has already paid for) gets refunded to whoever the DVLA has as the current keeper at that point in time in it's records. Not saying it will happen but it's possible.
It looks like Swansea are completely unaware of 2 owners in the chain who are not recorded as RKs. This a perfect illustration of the potential problems that can arise when the proper process isn't followed. The DVLA will work solely on the basis of what their computer records show. Which may well not reflect the real world situation.
tl;dr just ring Swansea, they'll sort it.
I had exactly this when I sold my Subaru recently - only realized a few days before exchange that the DVLA had sent my V5C when I bought the car to another address, so they posted another one FoC. In the meantime of course this meant that I couldn't SORN it online and the new owner couldn't tax it online either when they came to do that. It was all solved with a phone call to the DVLA - of course they had a record of the new V5C being created and put in the snailmail to me, so they just SORNed it over the phone with plenty of dire warnings about a hex being placed on me if I drove the car. The new owner just needed to ring them up to tax it, or wait for me to receive the new V5C and transfer it over to him online, which I did in short order.
I had exactly this when I sold my Subaru recently - only realized a few days before exchange that the DVLA had sent my V5C when I bought the car to another address, so they posted another one FoC. In the meantime of course this meant that I couldn't SORN it online and the new owner couldn't tax it online either when they came to do that. It was all solved with a phone call to the DVLA - of course they had a record of the new V5C being created and put in the snailmail to me, so they just SORNed it over the phone with plenty of dire warnings about a hex being placed on me if I drove the car. The new owner just needed to ring them up to tax it, or wait for me to receive the new V5C and transfer it over to him online, which I did in short order.
It is a bit complicated, but the car is now taxed, insured and MOT'ed, so my friend is now using it. My friend is on record (via the Post Office computer) as being the registered keeper, so he should receive the V5 soon.
I don't understand why owners fail to inform DVLA when they sell, but this seems to be fairly common with cheap cars. People doing swaps, trading from home, getting a friend to sell, etc. I can see why some buyers don't bother, as it means the previous keeper gets done when they use it with no tax/MOT/insurance, or get a ticket.
I've bought a couple of cheap cars recently via Facebook, and neither of them were being sold by the person whose name was on the V5. I did make sure I got a signed receipt as well as the new keeper slip, and informed DVLA as soon as I got home. New V5s arrived with no problems.
One seller was obviously a back street trader, "selling for a mate", the other had taken the car in PX for his own car, then "decided to just sell it on rather than fix it".
I don't understand why owners fail to inform DVLA when they sell, but this seems to be fairly common with cheap cars. People doing swaps, trading from home, getting a friend to sell, etc. I can see why some buyers don't bother, as it means the previous keeper gets done when they use it with no tax/MOT/insurance, or get a ticket.
I've bought a couple of cheap cars recently via Facebook, and neither of them were being sold by the person whose name was on the V5. I did make sure I got a signed receipt as well as the new keeper slip, and informed DVLA as soon as I got home. New V5s arrived with no problems.
One seller was obviously a back street trader, "selling for a mate", the other had taken the car in PX for his own car, then "decided to just sell it on rather than fix it".
p4cks said:
The car is now taxed as the OP has said so panic over.
The V5 takes about a week from Swansea these days... they're a lot more efficient than they used to be
One working day in fact!The V5 takes about a week from Swansea these days... they're a lot more efficient than they used to be
Bought a car on a Saturday.
V5 turned up in the post the following Tuesday morning
I imagine now it's all done on-line, it's completely automated.
You can do the registered keeper change yourself on line. When i bought my last car it was a similar situation where the seller (who was in no way a back street trader, no, not at all, honest guv) hadn't transferred it into his name because "he wanted to keep the number of registered keepers down".
I did the change of keeper online with my laptop in front of him to make sure it went through OK before handing over any money. That worked well and the V5 turned up 2 days later.
I did the change of keeper online with my laptop in front of him to make sure it went through OK before handing over any money. That worked well and the V5 turned up 2 days later.
Edited by TriumphStag3.0V8 on Sunday 6th January 12:21
If you remove the first digit from the V5C/2, you have the document no to do yourself. But the car I bought had been SORN previously, and I taxed it online.
Anyway, the seller has confirmed he posted it off to DVLA on 24th December. This way isn't automated so I'll expect a new one mid week sometime.
Anyway, the seller has confirmed he posted it off to DVLA on 24th December. This way isn't automated so I'll expect a new one mid week sometime.
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