Sold car 4 years ago and just been issued a fine for outstanding tax.

ZeeZee1

Hi There,

I'm new to the forum, so please bear with me. And apologies for the very long post!

I'd be grateful for some advice, please.

I sold a car approx four years ago (I can't remember the exact date). I bought it with the intention of learning to drive in but didn't use it as it didn't have power steering.

Anyway, the new owner signed the V5C at the time of selling, and I sent it off to the DVLA. Skip four years, and I've been sent a letter from a debt collection agency, for failing to tax the car back in May of this year.

I never received a confirmation letter from DVLA, but being new to car ownership, it hadn't even crossed my mind. My ignorance / naivety.

About a year after selling the car, I moved house. I informed DVLA, with regards to changing the address on myProvisional Licence. So somewhere on their system, they would have had my new address. Skip a further 2+ years and I received a letter from a debt recovery agency, totally out of the blue, at my new address to say the debt had been passed on to them as I had failed to reply to previous letters (these had not been passed on to me by the new owners at my previous address).

The offence related to May 2016. So this is not an old offence.

I have written to DVLA explaining that I no longer owned the car and hadn't for over three years and had sent off the V5C at the time of sale etc. They wrote back to me to tell me I was still liable for the fine.

I am now in the process of appealing. However, they are asking for evidence of the sale, of which I don't have. I didn't receive anything from DVLA and regardless of that; it was four years ago. This is my last shot at appealing.

What I can't understand is, we can see that the car has since been MOT'd via the DVLA website, and therefore should also have been taxed. In which case, they should now have the new owners details?

Do I have a leg to stand on here? Am I still liable if I've done my part and sent off the new ownership details? If the letter has been lost in the post, or the V5C never received their end, can I really be at fault? What are my rights here? Are the bailiffs going to come knocking? Will this go against my credit rating?

I've been reading up on this online, and it seems this has happened to far too many people. I don't want this to go to court, but I don't want to pay a fine that isn't mine.

Any advice on where to take this if this appeal is rejected would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

rich13348

If you sent the V5C off you should have a got a letter saying you are no longer responsible for vehicle reg XXXX XXX. If you didn't get that chances are they didn't receive the V5C or it got lost in their post room or it wasnt processed correctly.
Did you get a proof of postage from the post office when you posted it as this would be proof you sent it.
Is the vehicle shown as taxed on the DVLA tax checker site?

NBLondon

Invite the bailiffs to seize the car in lieu of the fine?


Find anything you can to prove you sold the car - contact details of new owner, bank transfer (if that's how you took payment).


Good Luck!

Stoke

As of late, these problems are all too common with government institutions. Serious inefficiencies that seem baffling to most.

If it was me, I would phone the DVLA and ask to speak to someone useful, and explain the situation and I would refuse to get off the phone until it was resolved. If it's been MOT'd and taxed since you sold it, then it should be obvious that it's not your vehicle anymore.

kathrynha

How did you sell the car and how did the buyer contact you? Ebay, Facebook selling group, gumtree? If online then there will still be evidence that you had it up for sale at that time, and if the buyer contacted you via the internet then you should be able to get that information too, which although it might not prove totally that you sold it, it would back up your case

Rover_Driver

The fact that the OP had sold the car is not that relevant, it is the Registered Keeper that is responsible for licensing the vehicle, and any penalty for failing to do so.
If the OP was still shown as the Registered Keeper in May, that would be why the DVLA are making the claim.

missile

Very sad that big brother can intimidate you in this manner. Guilty until you prove your innocence seems to be the DVLA way.

I hope you get this sorted.

greatgimpo

Put the number plate in here:
https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax