DVLA contractors removed vehicles from private land illegally

Zoomydo

I own a house and recently purchased an old garage compound which was previously owned by a housing association which is to the rear of my property. I use the garages to store my own property, vehicles etc. 
DVLA contractors recently turn up and drove into my compound and used their hiab truck to lift some vehicles over the top of some others as they claimed at first they were not taxed, then secondly because they were not Sorn. They placed untaxed stickers onto the cars and proceeded to remove them. I objected and blocked them in. Police attended and witnessed the contractors removing the cars from the compound. I’ve only recently purchased the compound so put no barrier up at the moment and do realise some neighbours at the top of the compound do sometimes use that part of the compound to park at the rear of the properties. My plans show they only have access to take out the bins from the rear but to be neighbourly I’ve turned a blind eye to this parking.
I’ve complained to the contractors to no avail and the charges are £320 per vehicle removal and £20 per day storage
can intake them to small claims to be reimbursed ? The contractor said they may be just sent to auction. 

What is my best recourse of action? I’ve not got the money for a lengthy court battle with solicitors etc, 
I realise I had not sorn the vehicles but I was still waiting for the paperwork for them both to be given to me 

James_Poisson

You need to take this to https://www.ftla.uk/ they are the experts with this type of issue.

ChirpyChicken

I believe what they did was legal

Baldytyke88

"Police attended and witnessed the contractors removing the cars from the compound."

AI Overview

"In summary: While the DVLA primarily deals with untaxed vehicles on public roads, they can intervene on private land if the vehicle poses a public nuisance or safety hazard. Landowners are generally responsible for untaxed vehicles on their property, and local councils may step in if the vehicle is abandoned or causes issues for the community."

Emmia

Zoomydo said:

I own a house and recently purchased an old garage compound which was previously owned by a housing association which is to the rear of my property. I use the garages to store my own property, vehicles etc. 
DVLA contractors recently turn up and drove into my compound and used their hiab truck to lift some vehicles over the top of some others as they claimed at first they were not taxed, then secondly because they were not Sorn. They placed untaxed stickers onto the cars and proceeded to remove them. I objected and blocked them in. Police attended and witnessed the contractors removing the cars from the compound. I’ve only recently purchased the compound so put no barrier up at the moment and do realise some neighbours at the top of the compound do sometimes use that part of the compound to park at the rear of the properties. My plans show they only have access to take out the bins from the rear but to be neighbourly I’ve turned a blind eye to this parking.
I’ve complained to the contractors to no avail and the charges are £320 per vehicle removal and £20 per day storage
can intake them to small claims to be reimbursed ? The contractor said they may be just sent to auction. 

What is my best recourse of action? I’ve not got the money for a lengthy court battle with solicitors etc, 
I realise I had not sorn the vehicles but I was still waiting for the paperwork for them both to be given to me 

Whose vehicles were they? Yours or your neighbours or someone else's?

James_Poisson

Baldytyke88 said:

"Police attended and witnessed the contractors removing the cars from the compound."

AI Overview

"In summary: While the DVLA primarily deals with untaxed vehicles on public roads, they can intervene on private land if the vehicle poses a public nuisance or safety hazard. Landowners are generally responsible for untaxed vehicles on their property, and local councils may step in if the vehicle is abandoned or causes issues for the community."

Don't believe everything AI tells you!

saajan_12

Zoomydo said:

I’ve complained to the contractors to no avail and the charges are £320 per vehicle removal and £20 per day storage
can intake them to small claims to be reimbursed ? The contractor said they may be just sent to auction. 

 

Pay, get your vehicle out and get the SORN asap, and then decide if you're suing for the money back. If you turn out to be successful then the judge will expect you to mitigate damages, including stemming the bleed on the £20 a day. 

I *think* they're correct that you needed a SORN even for private land - while the DVLA may not bother usually that doesn't mean they don't have a right to. However do check this. 

Emmia

saajan_12 said:

Zoomydo said:

I’ve complained to the contractors to no avail and the charges are £320 per vehicle removal and £20 per day storage
can intake them to small claims to be reimbursed ? The contractor said they may be just sent to auction. 

 

Pay, get your vehicle out and get the SORN asap, and then decide if you're suing for the money back. If you turn out to be successful then the judge will expect you to mitigate damages, including stemming the bleed on the £20 a day. 

I *think* they're correct that you needed a SORN even for private land - while the DVLA may not bother usually that doesn't mean they don't have a right to. However do check this. 

https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

To quote from that page.

When you need to make a SORN

You need to make a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) when you take a vehicle ‘off the road’ and you want to stop taxing and insuring it.

Your vehicle is off the road if you do not keep or use it on a public road, for example if it’s in a garage, on a drive or on private land.

You must make a SORN in any of the following situations:

your vehicle is not taxed

your vehicle is not insured (even for a short time, for example because there’s a delay renewing your policy)

you want to break a vehicle down for parts before you scrap it

you buy or receive a vehicle and want to keep it off the road (you cannot transfer a SORN from the previous keeper)

If you’ve been sent a vehicle tax reminder for a vehicle you’ve already sold, you do not need to make a SORN.

After you tell DVLA you’ve sold your vehicle, you’ll receive confirmation that you no longer have it.

You must insure and tax your vehicle if you do not have a SORN. If you do not, you’ll automatically be fined £80 for not having a SORN. There’s also a fine for having an uninsured vehicle."


If the OP hadn't SORN'd the vehicles (which presumably were also not taxed or insured), DVLA were legally able to remove them, and the OP isn't entitled to compensation.

MyRealNameToo

Since the Continuous Insurance Enforcement came into force its been a legal requirement to have a vehicle insured or SORNed. Any vehicle that is neither is breaking the law no matter if it's on private land or public land. 

Like the police and postman can come onto your land uninvited to do their job so can the DVLA do so to seize vehicles that are breaking the law. However the DVLA is not hot on this and still sends out a warning letter first, then sends out a fine. The fact you have multiple vehicles all illegally is probably why they stepped up the game to alternative enforcement mechanisms as you're a perpetual law breaker