About DVLA

Standard practice when someone applies for a V5.

I would think the DVLA will give you the name and address without question especially if when you call you ask that question 1st.

Regarding the system that DVLA have adopted, then I agree with you. Assuming transfer of the document to a new person is stupid without 1st getting confirmation off the original registered keeper. I do not think they accept the same conditions when it involves anything that you have to supply to them. I thought the new style logbook was there to prevent fraud amongst other things. Looks like they need to get there house in order 1st.

Just out of curiosity what are the police doing about the reported incident ?

Gio

They seem interested and are coming to take a statement at 9.15pm !! The SOCO is going to come and check whether the handprints on the car are any help at a later appointment. Police say that DVLA will not tell me the name/address of the attempt at the V5, but of course they will tell the police! So that may shed some light, the thing that is so bizarre is the vehicle involved, it would be more understandable for someone to take a chance at the V5 for a valuable car.

I am actually surprised at how much interest the police are taking, I expected nothing more than a leaflet !

mrcheerful

If the garage was broken into, the police will want to know who has applied for the log book and will be able to get it from the DVLA.

The DVLA will be unaware of the complete circumstances and I suppose treat it as an abandoned car, fair play to them for contacting the owner although

14 days is a bit short. But even if you were on holiday or something, having your name on a log book is not proof of legal ownership. It is good policy to keep hold of all receipts for cars bought and sold.

It is significant that the intruders have not removed the car. They may be in trouble for breaking and entering but if they could make enough noise to grind locks without raising suspicion, then they could easily have taken the car and broken it up or changed the ID or something. Is it possible that these people discovered an old garage with a car in it and couldn't establish who owns it?

Pete W

ISTR there is a process for 'claiming' cars which appear to be ownerless, but I thought it was more longwinded than just asking for it and waiting a fortnight...

That is possible, but they only needed to ask the dvla for owners details, not apply for a V5, probably the local plod would have looked it up and passed their details to me. Possibly it is the new owners (builder firm)of the nearest house chancing their luck that the owner of the garage has passed away and they can get the garage by adverse possession, but then surely they should keep as quiet as possible, not apply for a V5 ? I phoned the apparent owner of the house (via the builders that are working there) who said that he had seen the garage had been opened and that he had put the lock on ! (that didn't sound likely to me, but maybe)

mrcheerful

What car is it? - is it just that your particular example isn't valuable, but that a very good example would be worth a fair bit?

They probably don't want your car, in particular, but are after a V5 to sell a stolen one.

Not really, it is a rover metro diesel 1993, even a cloned one would be hard pushed to reach 500 quid.

mrcheerful

The DVLA wouldn't have let them have your details and asking the police to put you in contact would be service beyond belief!!! :-) Maybe the builders want the land and want to make you an exorbitant offer to vacate. They could have just torched the place. For the price of a stamp, applying for the V5 is a good way of motivating interest in old, seemingly abandoned cars.

Doesn't apply for really old cars not registered at Swansea though; then it gets complicated.

Pete W

You are probably right, although I understood DVLA will divulge details with a good reason given.

The police have been for a statement, applying for the V5 is not an offence and apparently very common !!

Breaking into the garage is an offence and they are following that up.

Fingers crossed and very impressed at the police response so far !!

mrcheerful

That's the thing - maybe applying for a V5 isn't an offence in itself, but whoever's applying for a V5 will need to know the VIN no, which is only accessible by opening the car up to pop up the bonnet. Unless it's viewable somewhere else, like on a plate on fhe dash, visible through the windscreen. Like you say though, if they had to break into a garage to find out any such information, then they've committed that offence anyway.

that is odd, because I am reasonably sure the car has not been opened!! I'll look tomorrow a bit closer when the soco comes round.

mrchherful (too much drink)

And just what do you think they are doing here?

The only slightly questionable point is the 14 day limit. But if you had bought a new car legitimately, and the old owner had not sent in their part of the V5, would you be happy if your application for a new one were delayed unreasonably because of that?

So the fact they are doing what you say they should be doing means they need to get their house in order does it?

What an odd conclusion :-)

The message from "mrcheerful ." contains these words:

That age of Metro, I'm fairly sure, had the number visible through the windscreen.

no, I am very sure it doesn't (I own lots of metros newer and older) it is stamped in the bonnet / scuttle hollow plus the vin plate.

mrcheerful

There is, but the "registered keeper" of the car and the legal owner of the car are two completely different things. Anyone can apply to become the registered keeper, wether they actually have legal title to the property (ie the car) is a different matter.

Alex

Hardly an excuse in my view, since they would certainly have known that

*they* didn't own it...

Martin.

Sucker for punishment? ;-)