Long story cut short:

- I bought my ex a car a few years ago

- The V5C was filled out with my name but at her old address; her insurers didn't care about the keeper's name but required the car to be registered at her address

- She's now moved house and lost the V5C, and hasn't received the tax reminder because neither of us remembered that the car stuff has had my name on it for the past 4 years so it wasn't covered by her mail forwarding

Obviously I'll need to call to do something about it. But I dunno what the options are; if I claim it's lost then they'll just send one to her old address, I believe? Or will they let me change the address on it when I call up?

Alternatively, can she make out that she's just "bought" the car from me and hasn't received the V5C yet, and send off a V62? Bear in mind we don't have the V5C/2 because it's part of the lost V5C document...

Any ideas?

If you're the one named on the V5C, I think you can send off a V62 and get a new V5.

This takes a couple of weeks. Not sure about the change of address though.


If you want to change the keeper, it takes longer as they need to contact the previous keeper, which as you said, will be difficult.


If you can make it to a DVLA local office before they shut, you'll find them helpful. Not at all Swansea like.... Easier with a person in front of you.

As hardcorehobbit said V62 is the badger!

 

You don't need to pretend anything like she has bought it etc. She can request the new one in her name and new address etc with the V62 and perhaps a covering letter as well. I have been down this sort of route a few times, you should be contacted in due course for them to alert you to someone attempting to register themselves as the keeper. To which you confirm and they will send it, should you not respond to them at all they will still change the details but after a set period (nuts system if you ask me). 
 

Personally I would get her to do the V62 and you write a letter to them with your name and address (as per what was on V5C) and your new current address, state that you have transferred the vehicle to (give her details and a date). You will get a letter back from them for your records confirming that you no longer are responsible for the vehicle. That should speed up the V62 process for your Ex and stop them needing to write to you etc. 

 

I would not want someone else driving and essentially owning a car in my name for all manor of reasons, not worth the hassle. Should a FPN or any government tickets have been sent to the old address you wouldn't know about it and would be summonsed to court in due course and found guilty in your absence from that for all manor of offences etc.... (could tot up too many points and end up banned ultimately) Beyond that the DVLA has been taking people to court when things like this happen for not informing them of the changes which have silly fines associated to them. 

 

Ultimately, tell them you have given it to her and then it's her problem. 

As hardcorehobbit said V62 is the badger!

 

You don't need to pretend anything like she has bought it etc. She can request the new one in her name and new address etc with the V62 and perhaps a covering letter as well. I have been down this sort of route a few times, you should be contacted in due course for them to alert you to someone attempting to register themselves as the keeper. To which you confirm and they will send it, should you not respond to them at all they will still change the details but after a set period (nuts system if you ask me).

Fair enough. I was assuming that since there wasn't a signed V5C/2 to send off (proving I'd handed the car over), then they'd try and contact me at the old address (which they won't be able to do). But if by not responding it can still go through then that would probably work.

 

Personally I would get her to do the V62 and you write a letter to them with your name and address (as per what was on V5C) and state that you have transferred the vehicle to (give her details and a date). You will get a letter back from them for your records confirming that you no longer are responsible for the vehicle. That should speed up the V62 process for your Ex and stop them needing to write to you etc.

That sounds worth a thought.

 

I would not want someone else driving and essentially owning a car in my name for all manor of reasons, not worth the hassle. Should a FPN or any government tickets have been sent to the old address you wouldn't know about it and would be summonsed to court in due course and found guilty in your absence from that etc.... Beyond that the DVLA has been taking people to court when things like this happen for not informing them of the changes which have silly fines associated to them.

Yep. It was just a way of making it clear that she was still to pay me back for it (I know the V5C doesn't prove ownership and obviously the purchasing paper trail stops with me so it's my car, but it just helped reinforce it to her because none of the documentation was in her name except her insurance), and while we were seeing each other I was there most of the week anyway. Unfortunately it was one of those things that kind of got forgotten about when we split up (just cos I couldn't be arsed to think about it more than necessary), and since that was the only thing I had registered at her place she's just been opening any mail because it's obvious that anything arriving for me was car related. But yeah, it does need rectifying!

Just be careful as isn't it up to £5k fine for not advising the DVLA?

Possibly, but they're not going to know this hasn't just happened and she's not going to drop me in it. I just needed to know the best way to approach it that doesn't involve having access to the old address because if there's no one moved in yet, that's going to be a problem. It sounds like her filling out a V62 and sending it off with the £25 payment for not enclosing a V5C/2 and me writing to them separately informing them that there's a change of details but I can't find the old V5C will do the trick and then it's all hers.

As a side note, I do like the way that there's wording all over the V5C saying it's nothing to do with the ownership, but the only option on the V62 is "I bought the car and didn't receive a V5C". I can see why people get confused about exactly what a V5C means when even some of the DVLA's own documentation heavily links "responsibility" and "ownership".

Yea it highlights that the V5C is only to get the individual responsible for the vehicle legally. Company cars etc this works better for. 

 

I would send your letter a week before if possible so its all recorded on their records. As it would be a lot more straight forward to explain, perhaps you did send off the V5C and forgot, and your ex lost the new keepers supplement........? Your own thing to do either way but I know what I would put personally.

 

ps. you should see the amount of paperwork I am filling out now ref HMRC and DVLA for registering my bike and car back in UK....... I bought them in UK and am merely returning with them ffs! over 40 A4 pages so far and im not done yet!