I don't trust my family. Am I being paranoid?

Nanako

RAS said:

Check with the vehicle licensing authorities initially. And take some extra advice re the car ownership as the police don't seem yo know the law round a lot of things. 

I had a look at the DVLA site, intending to file a SORN for the car, and ran straight into a brick wall. It requires digits from the V5C.

As mentioned earlier, my uncle stole all the paperwork related to the car, and gave it to my cousin when selling it, i have nothing. Where the heck do i start there to rebuild all the documents i'll need?

poppystar

It might be an idea to phone the DVLA bereavement team and explain it to them. If he has forged a signature or whatever to sell the vehicle then they may be able to advise your next step. If they have been notified of the sale/gift they would have done a tax refund to the current owner (your mother). Has this been received? It may be too early days for them to have processed it yet but they might be able to put a stop to the legal transfer if they are aware there is a problem. This, I suspect, might make it difficult for your cousin to tax and insure the vehicle herself. 

Aranyani

Did you tell the solicitor all the family stuff in your email to the solicitor?  If so they will probably not want to take the case on. 

Nanako

Aranyani said:

Did you tell the solicitor all the family stuff in your email to the solicitor?  If so they will probably not want to take the case on. 

I did tell them, yes. I don't understand why they wouldn't want to take the case though. Can you explain the logic there?

Nanako

poppystar said:

It might be an idea to phone the DVLA bereavement team and explain it to them. If he has forged a signature or whatever to sell the vehicle then they may be able to advise your next step. If they have been notified of the sale/gift they would have done a tax refund to the current owner (your mother). Has this been received? It may be too early days for them to have processed it yet but they might be able to put a stop to the legal transfer if they are aware there is a problem. This, I suspect, might make it difficult for your cousin to tax and insure the vehicle herself. 

he didn't forge anything.  I had thought that he just pretended to have legitimacy, but now that i know my cousin is in on it too, i don't think he even had that facade.

I doubt the dvla has been notified, not by him at least, but possibly by the cousin who bought it, I'm extremely worried of her pre-empting DVLA matters so i think i need to move fast there. I had no idea there is a bereavement team, i'll call them first thing in the morning!

Aranyani

Nanako said:

Aranyani said:

Did you tell the solicitor all the family stuff in your email to the solicitor?  If so they will probably not want to take the case on. 

I did tell them, yes. I don't understand why they wouldn't want to take the case though. Can you explain the logic there?

Why would they want to get involved in a load of family drama?  Not worth the fee.

MoneySeeker1

Do make that absolute priority pronto to get that house secured!!!!! That's the single biggest asset. You have a finite amount of time and energy - so prioritise. The house comes first, the savings come second, everything else comes third.

If your mother has a suitable understanding and alert type neighbour - get them on side and ask them to keep an eye on the house for you (ie in case of intruders so to say).

MoneySeeker1

Added that - after I'd got the house safely secured - I'd contact all local estate agents and tell them YOU are the seller of the house and, in your circumstances, I'd get it on the market even before probate has happened personally. 

That way - if those relatives go trekking off to any of the local estate agents about "their" house they are selling - the estate agents already know it's YOUR house you are selling. Estate agents can be distinctly awkward even to someone who is a part-owner of a house for sale - if someone else has already been in and claimed to be the one/only one selling the house and so make that fact work in your favour (ie that you are the one that is clearly already selling it - and then the EA will be awkward/reluctant to speak to them as well or instead).

Nanako

Aranyani said:

Nanako said:

Aranyani said:

Did you tell the solicitor all the family stuff in your email to the solicitor?  If so they will probably not want to take the case on. 

I did tell them, yes. I don't understand why they wouldn't want to take the case though. Can you explain the logic there?

Why would they want to get involved in a load of family drama?  Not worth the fee.

Doesnt a probate lawyer deal with family drama every single day in every single case? It'd the bread and butter of their job

Nanako

poppystar said:

It might be an idea to phone the DVLA bereavement team and explain it to them. If he has forged a signature or whatever to sell the vehicle then they may be able to advise your next step.

I contacted the DVLA via their webchat and tried to explain the situation, unfortunately they were unhelpful. The only advise they gave is to send the details of the case in writiing to their address in swansea. And to expect a 6-8 week processing time before any response.

By the time I get a reply from that, the situation is likely to have changed majorly

What should I do here? Get a letter sent asap with current info and hope they help?

Would i need to wait another six weeks if things get resolved during that time?

Would it perhaps be better to wait til after probate and contact them then?