Car Ownership / Keepership following death

colcheslad

Hi all,

When my father passed away in October, I phoned the insurance company who stated that as long as my father remained as the registered keeper, they would insure me to drive the car so I can use it to fulfil various errands, and that I was covered until July (also taxed and MOT'd until July).

I have just received the final death certificate following a coroners investigation, when looking into using the Tell Us Once service it states that the DVLA will remove my father as the registered keeper and refund the tax. If this happens then according to the insurance company, the insurance would lapse, and the car would also be untaxed.

Is there a way to keep my late father as the keeper so I can use the vehicle, given that at the moment it is insured, taxed and MOT'd?

Thank you

BoGoF

Sorry for your loss but would have thought a deceased person cannot be the registered keeper.

Being the registered keeper carries various responsibilities which someone no longer with us can carry out.

-taff

You could get your solicitor to send a letter and a copy of the death certificate to the DVLA asking for it to be put in your name, then you can tax and insure it yourself.

mufi

Did you take out your own tax on the car. If not, my understanding is that it's not taxed as the tax belongs to the person, not the car (it changed a few years ago).

That's what I was told when I was in a similar position - the only way I could drive it legally was to get a refund on the deceased's car tax and take out tax in my name.

colcheslad

Thanks for the replies. No, the insurance co said that we should leave everything exactly as it was, so that's what we've done. It's been a while since I've owned a car so I thought that the tax was allocated to the vehicle (such as the days when there was a little paper disk!), so much for progress and simplicity.

If I change the registered keeper to myself, how would I obtain tax so I can continue to drive it? Is it an instant process?

Thanks again

sheramber

colcheslad wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. No, the insurance co said that we should leave everything exactly as it was, so that's what we've done. It's been a while since I've owned a car so I thought that the tax was allocated to the vehicle (such as the days when there was a little paper disk!), so much for progress and simplicity.

If I change the registered keeper to myself, how would I obtain tax so I can continue to drive it? Is it an instant process?

Thanks again

My husband died in September. The insurance company said the policy would continue and I would be covered as named driver until renewal next August.

The vehicle tax had to be cancelled and then taken out in my name. DVLA refunded the tax already paid. The new tax was taken out online and you get an email confirmation right away.

Goldfinger101

The keeper needs to be changed as the owner is deceased.
Send the log book to the dvla with a note to say about your grandfathers death. This will then stop any further correspondence being sent out in your grandfathers name.
As long as you have the green new keepers slip then you can tax the car online in your name.

Undervalued

sheramber wrote: »

My husband died in September. The insurance company said the policy would continue and I would be covered as named driver until renewal next August.

The vehicle tax had to be cancelled and then taken out in my name. DVLA refunded the tax already paid. The new tax was taken out online and you get an email confirmation right away.

Interesting. Under vaguely similar circumstances I was told the opposite. The argument being that a named driver can only drive with the policy holder's permission. That permission is not given for the duration of the policy but on an hourly / daily / weekly etc basis and could be revoked at any time. Sadly somebody who has died cannot give or review permission nor are they any longer the main driver! So, the company insisted on cancelling the policy, refunding pro rata the preimum and quoted for a new policy with me as the main driver.