Car sale - with owner unable to be present - advice needed please

EssexHebridean

I suspect (hope!) this may turn out to be remarkably simple, but we'll see... My elderly father is currently extremely unwell in hospital - we have no idea how long he's likely to be there, but there is a decent chance he won't actually make it to the stage of being discharged. Prior to being admitted he'd decided it was time to let his car go - he's no longer comfortable driving what he has anyway, and realistically the chances of him driving again full stop are slim. 

What my Mum would like to be able to do is to sell the car to someone like WBAC or similar - easy, straightforward and no hassle. Dad is fine with that idea, however of course the car is registered in his name - and owned by him also. The question is - what, if anything, can my Mum do about arranging the sale of it given that Dad is unable to be present? Would it be necessary to re-register the car into her name first - or is there anything that can be done to arrange the sale with the registration as it currently stands? The reason for a bit of "hurry" needed to sort the situation out is that the tax & MoT will shortly both expire - it's impractical to take the car for MoT as realistically it probably won't pass without a spend which is going to be uneconomical given the intention to get rid. 

Apologies if this is something that is obvious to most on here - where we are right now, any help will be much appreciated. 

Car_54

I’d call WBAC and see what they say.
BTW the registered keeper isn’t really relevant:it is not proof of ownership.

Herzlos

WBAC will only buy from the person named on the V5 according to the website. How much diligence they do I'm not sure, they'd probably ask for some ID and proof of address so unless you and your father share a name then that won't work.

Transferring it into your name is probably the correct thing to do, but obviously you wouldn't be able to sell it until the new V5 arrives and the car would need to be taxed again.

You can probably sell it privately if you are up front with the buyer and can do the transaction from the address on the V5.

Grumpy_chap

Is there a local garage that serviced the car and knows you father?  They might be more understanding if the likes of WBAC are not.  Having said that, the situation is not an unusual one so I am sure the trade buyers all have processes to manage the event.

giraffe69

We sold the car MIL owned and no longer was going to drive to WBAC and it was no problem. We had to provide the v5 but it was fairly simple

DB1904

Q. Can I sell a car on behalf of a family member or friend?

Yes you can and the following documentation will be required to complete the sale;

• Original Photo ID for the registered keeper (Passport/Driving License)
• A proof of address for the registered keeper dated within the last nine months (this must match the address on the V5 - utility bill/bank statement)
• Letter/Email of authority from the registered keeper stating that they wish to sell the vehicle and naming the person bringing the car for sale as being authorised to conclude the sale. Alternatively, a copy of the Power of Attorney document naming the person bringing the car for sale as Power of Attorney
• The payment must be to the registered keepers UK bank account, so proof of the account details should be provided (bank statement/paying in book).
• Finally photo ID for the person bringing the car.

DB1904

Herzlos said:

WBAC will only buy from the person named on the V5 according to the website. How much diligence they do I'm not sure, they'd probably ask for some ID and proof of address so unless you and your father share a name then that won't work.

Transferring it into your name is probably the correct thing to do, but obviously you wouldn't be able to sell it until the new V5 arrives and the car would need to be taxed again.

You can probably sell it privately if you are up front with the buyer and can do the transaction from the address on the V5.

Speak to them first is the thing to do on a car valued at more than five grand and not bought from a recognised trader. 

Car_54

DB1904 said:

Q. Can I sell a car on behalf of a family member or friend?

Yes you can and the following documentation will be required to complete the sale;

• Original Photo ID for the registered keeper (Passport/Driving License)
• A proof of address for the registered keeper dated within the last nine months (this must match the address on the V5 - utility bill/bank statement)
• Letter/Email of authority from the registered keeper stating that they wish to sell the vehicle and naming the person bringing the car for sale as being authorised to conclude the sale. Alternatively, a copy of the Power of Attorney document naming the person bringing the car for sale as Power of Attorney
• The payment must be to the registered keepers UK bank account, so proof of the account details should be provided (bank statement/paying in book).
• Finally photo ID for the person bringing the car.

Interesting, but where does the info come from?

All the stuff about registered keeper is irrelevant. The only person who can sell the vehicle is the owner (or his Attorney). The RK may not be the owner, and it says so in BIG BLOCK CAPITALS in red on the front of every V5C.

KimJongUn88

Car_54 said:

I’d call WBAC and see what they say.
BTW the registered keeper isn’t really relevant:it is not proof of ownership.

Of course the registered keeper is relevant. The registered keeper has got to sign the V5 in order that the car goes into trade or alternatively gets transferred to another registered keeper.

motorguy

Car_54 said:

I’d call WBAC and see what they say.
BTW the registered keeper isn’t really relevant:it is not proof of ownership.

I agree on the first point wholly.

The second point - it will matter to WBAC.  From memory they require you to be on the V5C for 3 months (to stop unscrupulous traders offloading troublesome cars to them).

EssexHebridean

Thanks all - some really reassuring input there. 

I'm aware of the registered keeper being technically irrelevant in terms of who can actually sell, but in real terms, and when you come to actually sell a car to the likes of WBAC, it tends not to be, in my experience! 

The letter from my father confirming permission might well be doable - Mum or I could type it and he'd be able to sign it - so that may well be the way to go. I did have a dig around on the website though and couldn't see that info - @DB1904 are you able to provide a link, please? Apologies if it's somewhere obvious and we've just missed it! 

@Grumpy_chap That's a good suggestion about the garage - unfortunately the one they use routinely doesn't buy other than for scrap value though - and while the car is getting on a bit and not in the best condition (bit like my Dad, really!) it is worth a bit more than that, so Mum's keen to avoid that route if possible! 

I'll pass this info on to Mum anyway - thanks again to all who've contributed! 

*edit* This has actually now become a redundant conversation as unfortunately Mum's own car was written off last night, so she will be retaining Dad's for her own use for the immediate future at least! She is absolutely fine, but thank goodness we'd not already done the deed re selling!