Abandoned car in my parking space

Joe_Horner

Buy a cheap lunchbox, some wire and some plasticine. Fill luchbox with plasticine, poke wires in at random, and attach to underside of car.

Phone bomb squad.

AdrianC

mangomaz wrote: »

There is an abandoned car in my parking space (it is a private car park in a residential development).

Do you own or rent?
If you rent, make it your landlord's problem.
If you own, make it the management company's problem.

It's a volkswagon polo, and my friend did a HPI check on the car reg and said its worth about £695.

I think you might have missed the decimal point.

It might be worth £700 in good working order, with an MOT, keys, documents.
As it is, it's worth weigh-in value, less the cost of collecting.

So I'm thinking about contacting the DVLA to get the car registered in my name (V62 form for £25) and then selling it for scrap? Does that sound like a reasonable, and legal plan?

No. Being the registered keeper does not make you the owner. You would be intentionally depriving the owner of their property - that's theft.

Or I could skip trying to make a quick bit of ££ and pressure the estate managers to get it towed away, which I could probably also do.

Why has it taken you two and a half years to do this?

parking_question_chap

saker75 wrote: »

Speak to your local Councillor.

Like they actually ever give a damn. From a lot of experience they just fob it off on the local council, irrespetive of wether or not they have anything to do with it.

AndyMc.....

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Like they actually ever give a damn. From a lot of experience they just fob it off on the local council, irrespetive of wether or not they have anything to do with it.

But the elections are fast approaching.

macman

I don't see that Barnet have any responsibility. It's on private land, not a public road or space, not stolen, not vandalised or likely to be an environmental hazard. Parking a vehicle long term does not in itself make it 'abandoned'-there are other factors. The management company or LL are responsible. And I'd be asking for a return of the annual parking fee, if there is a separate charge.
If it belongs to someone on your estate, the mgt co. can insist they move it, or move it for them, so after 2.5 years, I think an investment of £2.50 to find out the registered keeper would not be unduly extravagant.
Why have you left it so long?
Have you checked online to see if it's taxed or SORNed? If not, then action will be taken more quickly.

droopsnoot

mangomaz wrote: »

I could also add an additional step of the V888 form, requesting the name and address of the current registered keepers (£2.50) and then contacting them asking if they want the car.

Only the registered keeper can apply for the details of the previous keepers using a V888 form. Legality aside, if you applied to have the car transferred to your name as the new keeper, when you get the new V5 it will have the name of the previous keeper on it.

LandyAndy

droopsnoot wrote: »

Only the registered keeper can apply for the details of the previous keepers using a V888 form. Legality aside, if you applied to have the car transferred to your name as the new keeper, when you get the new V5 it will have the name of the previous keeper on it.

Which may well be the fake name that the real previous keeper sent to the DVLA before/after they abandoned it.

Johno100

AndyMc..... wrote: »

But the elections are fast approaching.

But I believe not in London this year.

macman wrote: »

I don't see that Barnet have any responsibility. It's on private land, not a public road or space, not stolen, not vandalised or likely to be an environmental hazard. Parking a vehicle long term does not in itself make it 'abandoned'-there are other factors. The management company or LL are responsible. And I'd be asking for a return of the annual parking fee, if there is a separate charge.

The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 as amended by Section 55 of The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 means that the council (and police) are now empowered to move an abandoned vehicle or one that is causing an obstruction on private as well as public land. Leaving aside the argument as to whether it is an abandoned vehicle or not, if the OP can't use their allocated and paid for parking spot then it is causing an obstruction.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/27/section/99

droopsnoot wrote: »

Only the registered keeper can apply for the details of the previous keepers using a V888 form. Legality aside, if you applied to have the car transferred to your name as the new keeper, when you get the new V5 it will have the name of the previous keeper on it.

The OP doesn't want or need previous keeper details, they need present keeper details. And from the situation they describe they clearly pass the DVLA's 'reasonable cause' test to obtain that information.

Aretnap

macman wrote: »

I don't see that Barnet have any responsibility. It's on private land, not a public road or space, not stolen, not vandalised or likely to be an environmental hazard.

The Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act imposes a duty on councils to remove abandoned vehicles from any land in the open air (ie not indoors) - public or private. The only difference that it being private land makes is that the occupier of the land can object to the removal, if he wants to.

There's an exception where the cost of getting the car to the nearest carriageway is unreasonably high, which would allow the council to opt out if the car was a great distance from the nearest road, or in a position where it would have to be retrieved with specialist equipment, but not if it's in a car park a few yards from a public road.

That said, if the council can't be bothered, then actually forcing them to do their duty would involve quite a lot of hassle and expense.

King_Nothing

Two and a half years?? I would have put the window in and let the hand brake off long before it even got past 6 months of not moving.