Dvla cock up

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Sun 18 Sep 2016 13:28
Dvla cock up - Kelly Howard

Please help. I have recently been in a rta where a car went into the back of me. I only bought the car 2 months ago. The car hire place rang me to tell me that i have to return the courtesy car as my car involved in the rta is sorn! Firstly when i bought the car i went to tax it but dvla would not let me do it as it was already taxed. So i thought no more about it. As i never received tax reminders or and documentation to say the car was sorn furthermore i never sorn the vechile and im still waiting for my log book to arrive but i am named as registered keeper on there database. I was injured in the accident and so was my passenger. The car is taxed now as i made dvla take payment for the next 6 months. Im besides myself with worry .

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Sun 18 Sep 2016 18:03
Dvla cock up - skidpan

Its not a DVLA "cock up", its you that has not followed the current rules.

When you sell a car you send the relevant parts of the V5C to the DVLA notifying them of the change of keeper and this automatically trigger a refund of the unexpired tax.

Before the new keeper uses the car on the road they are required to re-tax the vehicle either on line or at a Post Office (other methods will be available probably) using the reference provided on the part of the V5C the seller handed to them.

As soon as the seller had the tax refunded the car would have been autmoatically SORN'd.

The DVLA may persue you for outstanding tax and posibly a fine but I don't think you get points.

Sorry but as I said above you have not followed the current rules.

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Mon 19 Sep 2016 04:09
Dvla cock up - Kelly Howard

Thank you for stating the obvious. Stupid i am not. It is i who bought the car and when i went to tax it it would not let me. Stating that the car was already taxed. Im well aware of my responsibilities. Regardless of whether the pervious owner had sorn the vehicle as soon as the vehicle obtains another keeper the sorn part becomes void. My issue is that dvla still had the vehicle sorn no log book has been issued or tax reminder or notification that the vehicle is sorn. As the new keeper the only person who can sorn it is the new owner. Which i never have done. Dvla have not sent any letters out warning asking or demanding. To my knowledge the cars status comes up showing vechile can not be taxed if the system is coming up as tax hax already been completed.

But thanks for your help not. Try reading things properly .

Edited by Kelly Howard on 19/09/2016 at 04:22

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Mon 19 Sep 2016 08:24
Dvla cock up - skidpan

I acquired a car in October 2014, just after the new rules came in. It was taxed but I knew that as soon as the V5C was sent back that would automatically be refunded to the previous keeper so before I went on the road I went on-line armed with the correct ref (not the one on the front, its the one under the relevant section on page 3 - it has an extra digit) and taxed it with no issues. If you try and tax it using the ref off the front it will tell you its already taxed.

When I sold the car 8 months later the buyer used my PC to tax the car before driving home using the ref off page 3. I got the remaining tax refunded and he taxed the car legally.

I can only presume you inserted the wrong number and I do read things properly.

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Mon 19 Sep 2016 13:45
Dvla cock up - TedCrilly

My experience of the DVLA is that on the odd occasion they do "cock up" they are quick to admit it and equally quick to put things right.

Have they admitted to you that all this is actually their fault?

They do expect personal responsibility to play a part in that you as a vehicle owner understand and comply with the system.

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Mon 19 Sep 2016 20:00
Dvla cock up - Palcouk

You say that "dvla would not let me" but fail to say whether this was online or at the post office, if online you would have been given an error msg

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Mon 19 Sep 2016 20:10
Dvla cock up - leaseman

Looks to me like this is yet another example of "Where there's a blame, there's a claim" culture, which promotes the fallacy that "I did what I could" without considering the consequences.

Typical of the age that the ambulance chacers have promoted.

Understand your obligations and ensure that you comply doesn't seem to enter the heads of the hoi polloi. Enough said.

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Mon 19 Sep 2016 21:05
Dvla cock up - Bromptonaut

I suspect Kelly's mistake was to try and tax the car using the registration number or the reference on the front page of the V5. What's needed is the reference number on the 'new owner' slip from the V5. This contains extra digits that (a) allows the new owner to tax and (b) generates a refund for the seller.

Worked for me when I bought the Roomster last year.

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Tue 20 Sep 2016 11:51
Dvla cock up - oldroverboy.

As i never received tax reminders or and documentation to say the car was sorn ..

Did you not query why you did not receive a v5c?

Did you post the new vehicle owners section to the DVLA telling them you had bought the car, and did the old owner tell them they sold the car?

It is your responsibility to contact DVLA if you have not received the documentation within 30 days.

while you may not have taxed the vehicle in errot, that is no help to you.

I suggest a consultation with a solicitor is in order.

Have DVLA fined you for using a vehicle on the road that is sorned?

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Tue 20 Sep 2016 21:20
Dvla cock up - Bromptonaut

Assuming DVLA have accepted the back tax and car is now in order then unless DVLA/Plod decide to prosecute or issue administrative fines OP is OK and no worse off then she would have been had car been taxed normally on change of ownership.

If fines/prosecution beckon then further advice may be needed.

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