SORN Fine

sweven

Aaaaaaagh!

We've been doing really well at the money saving recently, and now out of the blue this.

We traded a Renault Clio in at the end of May at a Renault dealer. The tax disc was due to run out a few days later.

Today we received a £40 fine for not declaring it off-the-road, and a requirement to pay the tax due during this period!!!!!

OH 'phoned the garage, who said that they'd been unaware of this until recently when they got fined too.

We've traded cars in at the rate of about 1 a year for the last 10 years, but this has never come up before. I can't believe we're going to have to spend this month's going out money on tax for a car we don't own!!!!

Aaaaaaaaagh! again!

Anyone got any advice? We're going to write to them explaining the situation - do you think it'll do any good?

tinkerbell84

There should be part of the logbook that you fill in when you sell a car and send to the DVLA.

Did you not do that?

sweven

We handed the car's documents over to the garage, and signed whatever they asked us to. ????

I think what's happened is that because the garage doesn't try to change the registered keeper until they sell it, we must still be the registered keeper at the moment, even though we don't own the car.

That makes us liable apparently. And presumably if the garage didn't sell it for another year we'd be liable again????

I don't understand fully what's going on - I haven't seen the letter yet, only talked to the OH on the 'phone as I'm at work at the moment.

**woody123**

The garage give you a slip (yellow i think) which you have to post off to the DVLA..

And the DVLA receive that slip they send you a letter confirming you are no longer the owner..

scbk

Well first off don't pay the DVLA a penny

The garage should have filled out the motor traders part of the V5, so you were no longer liable. Do you have a receipt from the place saying when you sold the car to them?

adouglasmhor

It's the sellers responsibility now and for a couple of years now to notify the DVLA, not the buyers - garrage or not.

custardy

contact the dvla and explain.usually enough to sort this out

sweven

We have a very good relationship with the garage so if they're liable I'm sure they'd own up to it.

I know we'll have sent off whatever we were supposed to, as the OH is extremely organised about such things, but that doesn't mean the DVLA received it of course.

From your comments should I take it to mean that if we're not the owners then we're not liable for this?

scbk

sweven wrote: »

From your comments should I take it to mean that if we're not the owners then we're not liable for this?

Exactly 100%

When you sold the car you should've removed section 9 (yellow) of the v5, and filled it in with the trader's details, signed it etc. The rest of the v5 then get's given to the trader. You post off section 9 to the DVLA, to remove you as the registered keeper, meaning you are no longer liable for anything that happens to that vehicle.

What's happened here is either the slip hasn't been sent off to the DVLA or it got lost in the post.

As above, you need to contact the DVLA, tell them the date you transferred the car and give the details of the motor trader.
They might not beleive you at first but stick with it and send them a copy of the recepit (if you have one), if necessary.

RedBern

agree with above. We sold a classic car a couple of years ago and then had a letter through fining us. I contacted the guy who'd bought it, he'd forgotten to send the registration off to Swansea because the car was in bits being restored. I then contacted Swansea, gave them his address and the date we'd sold it, never heard another peep from them.

sweven

Thanks for that - I'll approach the garage to ask what would have happened with the paperwork. If it looks like it all went through as it should have then I'll send the receipt off to the DVLA.

cheers

Sweven