Forgot to change the address on my car's V5C.

Xandros

The long and the short of it is I moved house the other month, and forgot to send off the slip from my V5C to get the address changed. I've been merrily driving around for the last couple of months or so with my old house address still registered against the vehicle.

Now, normally I wouldn't be too worried about this. Except back in October when I'd just moved in, I'm sure I got done by a speed camera. Of course I never got the ticket through so I just thought my luck was up that day and the camera didn't have film in it or however they work. Of course I didn't twig it until I came across the V5C today that the vehicle is still registered at my old address, so I probably did get a ticket, it just got sent there and not here.

However I know for a fact no mail is being delivered to my old address since I sold it to developers and it has now been bulldozed. I've been told by a couple of companies I corresponded with since moving that mail they sent me to that address has been returned to them, so the same would have happened to that penalty notice.

My question is, what happens now? How should I proceed? I mean, I don't know the law about the vehicle registration address - I know for instance it's illegal to have a driving licence without your current address on it, but is that also true for vehicles?

My biggest fear is, I go and change the address on the car now and then at some point they check the details again and see it's changed, send me the fine as well as all the unpaid penalty additions, AND a fine for not having a current address on my V5C.

Of course I'm also worried I may now get pulled over by the cops one day for these unpaid fines.

I'd be quite happy to pay the original penalty notice provided I wasn't going to get hit with hundreds of quids worth of fines, if not thousands. Is there any way I can check to see if this has indeed happened?

anotherbaldrick

Just advise DVLA of your change of address and see what manures ! have you done your driving licence and passport ?

Iceweasel

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

Just advise DVLA of your change of address and see what manures ! have you done your driving licence and passport ?

Passport? - How does one do that then?

Xandros

Well, I've done my driving license but, I wasn't under the impression I needed to do anything with regard to the passport.

Aretnap

Yes, it's an offence not to update your vehicle registration details when you change address. However you're unlikely to be prosecuted for doing it two or three months late. Just get a move on and do it.

If you have been caught by a speed camera in the meantime that's potentially a bigger problem as the s172 requirement will have been sent to the address on your V5C and if you don't respond to that you put yourself in line for 6 points and a fine of several hundred pounds - a much bigger penalty than the speeding offence itself would normally attract. If you know which force area you were possibly caught in, I'd suggest that you phone the speed camera section of that force (if you can't find the number on Google, trying calling 101 and asking) explain the situation and ask if they have any outstanding offences recorded against your car. As it's not been too long they will likely be reasonable and resend the s172 to your new address. You may be too late for a speed awareness course, but at worst you should end up with a fixed penalty (ie 3 points and &100).

If you do nothing there's a risk that you'll end up with a summons going to your old address, then you'll be convicted in your absence when you don't turn up in court, and eventually the first you hear of it could be when bailiffs track down your new address and turn up on your doorstep looking for the fine (and add their own extortionate fees on top). So it's best to do something about now it rather than hoping it goes away.

Car_54

To add to Aretnap's post, if you do nothing you won't be convicted of speeding (as there's no evidence of who was driving) but of failure to furnish the driver's details.

This is much more serious. Six points, a bigger fine, and a code on your licence which insurance companies don't like at all.

So best to sort it out ASAP..

GabbaGabbaHey

Have you thought of getting the Royal Mail to do a redirect from your old address (I know the building doesn't exist any more, but the address will) to your current address? It doesn't cost that much, and at least you'll know if anything has been sent to the old address.

Xandros

Bummer. Here's hoping the damn thing didn't have any film in it then. I know the authority running that area anyway so I will contact them asap as suggested.

As for a redirect, I didn't even know you could do that! Suppose thinking about it in this day and age it's logical that RM would offer such a service. On the other hand knowing my mail was being returned to sender was slightly satisfying to me as I used to get an enormous amount of junk from various companies.

You know, thinking about it, that speed camera probably isn't the only thing I've been done for lately. I was sitting here taking in these posts and pondering the consequences when I remembered... Last week (Monday the 22nd actually), I was with a friend (same car) driving through the town centre here where I now live looking for somewhere and my sat nav directed me into what looked glaringly like a pedestrianised road.

It wanted me to carry on just round the corner. However despite people wondering around and the road looking distinctly non existent I looked around and could see road signs showing it as a one way system, so it obviously was a road. I could see no other sign saying it was pedestrianised or I wasn't allowed down there for whatever reason, then to top it off a royal mail van drove past me and went round the corner, so I opted to follow him. I reiterate there were no signs saying I couldn't drive down this road. I started getting a bit worried however when the rm van stopped outside a shop and I carried on slowly avoiding people walking everywhere until we came to the other end of the "road" where my sat nav was directing me too and low and behold as I exited onto an actual street with other cars there was a nice big sign declaring the "road" I'd just driven down was pedestrian only and only taxis and buses were allowed down it.

My friend naturally thought this was hilarious.

I've got to laugh. I expect I've been done for that too thinking about it. Yea... I better get that v5c amened and sent ASAP. Oops.

Paradigm

Aretnap wrote: »

Yes, it's an offence not to update your vehicle registration details when you change address. However you're unlikely to be prosecuted for doing it two or three months late. Just get a move on and do it.

It doesn't have to be your home address though does it? Just a UK address where you can be contacted or has it changed?

Xandros

Paradigm wrote: »

It doesn't have to be your home address though does it? Just a UK address where you can be contacted or has it changed?

Just says "registered keeper details" on the V5 and doesn't mention on the back about it having to be registered at the address you actually live at. So I'd assume that you can have any address on it provided you can be contacted at it. Of course in my case my old mail isn't being sent to me and I don't have access to it anymore so, I can't be contacted on the address shown and thus am a bit screwed if I get caught.

Paradigm

Contact the DVLA & ask if there are any outstanding fines/convictions.