Why should you SORN a car on private land

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DVLA_rebellion
DVLA_rebellion Posts: 1 Newbie
in Motoring
Hi All.
My other car was parked in my garage for a few months, I was finding time to sort out the electrical fault, it couldn’t be used on the road as it wouldn’t start.
The road tax run out, and I didn’t have the original letter sent to SORN or tax the car. I called DVLA and explained, their reply was we’ll issue you another letter which they did with the long number on it, when this arrived it was the start of the next month so I SORN my car. I was then sent a letter from DVLA saying as the car was SORN I was being fined £80 for not having the car SORN on the previous month. I called them and explained but the person wasn’t interested in what I was telling him. I have had a license for 41 years a I’m a little confused why you actually have to tell DVLA it’s off road. When did it become law to SORN your car when your car is on private land or is this own statement making them important.
I would appreciate your help as I’m being pestered by a debt collection agency?
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  • Comms69
    Comms69 Posts: 14,229 Forumite
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    DVLA_rebellion wrote: »
    Hi All.
    My other car was parked in my garage for a few months, I was finding time to sort out the electrical fault, it couldn’t be used on the road as it wouldn’t start.
    The road tax run out, and I didn’t have the original letter sent to SORN or tax the car. I called DVLA and explained, their reply was we’ll issue you another letter which they did with the long number on it, when this arrived it was the start of the next month so I SORN my car. I was then sent a letter from DVLA saying as the car was SORN I was being fined £80 for not having the car SORN on the previous month. I called them and explained but the person wasn’t interested in what I was telling him. I have had a license for 41 years a I’m a little confused why you actually have to tell DVLA it’s off road. When did it become law to SORN your car when your car is on private land or is this own statement making them important.
    I would appreciate your help as I’m being pestered by a debt collection agency?



    The law is very simple:


    Pay your tax or sorn it.


    You did neither, what do you expect?
  • BeenThroughItAll
    BeenThroughItAll Posts: 5,018 Forumite
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    DVLA_rebellion wrote: »
    When did it become law to SORN your car when your car is on private land or is this own statement making them important?



    Erm, 1998. Hardly a new law.
  • Gloomendoom
    Gloomendoom Posts: 16,550 Forumite
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    DVLA_rebellion wrote: »
    When did it become law to SORN your car when your car is on private land

    About 20 years ago...

    The Road Vehicles (Statutory Off-Road Notification) Regulations 1997
  • onomatopoeia99
    onomatopoeia99 Posts: 6,964 Forumite
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    The reason you must declare SORN is the law, as others have stated. The Road Vehicles (Statutory Off-Road Notification) Regulations 1997 if you fancy some bedtime reading

    The reason the law was changed is more difficult. Apparently the Labour government didn't trust us (which will come as a huge surprise to no-one), so thought if we let the tax run out that meant we were using the vehicle untaxed. So they changed it to force us to declare the vehicle was off road, as if that somehow made a difference to people using untaxed vehicles.

    It's a nonsense, it's been a nonsense for twenty years, and now we have the continuous insurance enforcement nonsense as well, introduced under the coalition, which means if a vehicle is taxed it must be insured all the time, not just on the date the tax starts.

    These are both administrative offences, as keeping an untaxed or uninsured vehicle off road without declaring SORN does not cause harm or potential harm to anyone, and using an untaxed or uninsured vehicle is an offence in its own right without the existence of SORN..
    Proud member of the wokerati, though I don't eat tofu.Home is where my books are.Solar PV 5.2kWp system, SE facing, >1% shading, installed March 2019.Mortgage free July 2023
  • Johno100
    Johno100 Posts: 5,259 Forumite
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    DVLA_rebellion wrote: »
    The road tax run out, and I didn’t have the original letter sent to SORN or tax the car. I called DVLA and explained, their reply was we’ll issue you another letter which they did with the long number on it,

    I'm highly surprised they didn't tell you you could SORN the vehicle with the 11-digit number on your V5c (AKA Log Book), or had you misplaced that as well?
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    DVLA_rebellion wrote: »
    I have had a license for 41 years a I’m a little confused why you actually have to tell DVLA it’s off road.
    Because it isn't currently taxed.
    When did it become law to SORN your car when your car is on private land
    1998...

    You've also not been able to have a taxed but uninsured car since 2011.
  • unholyangel
    unholyangel Posts: 16,863 Forumite
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    onomatopoeia99 wrote: »
    It's a nonsense, it's been a nonsense for twenty years, and now we have the continuous insurance enforcement nonsense as well, introduced under the coalition, which means if a vehicle is taxed it must be insured all the time, not just on the date the tax starts.

    I appreciate its a subtle difference but imo saying "if a vehicle is taxed, it must be insured" is a bit misleading.

    Technically the legislation makes both blanket offences (no VED & no insurance) but then creates an exception if the vehicle is not kept or used on the public road and they've declared SORN.

    So its that a non SORN vehicle requires insurance, not just taxed vehicles.
    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    unholyangel wrote: »
    So its that a non SORN vehicle requires insurance, not just taxed vehicles.
    But since any vehicle that isn't taxed must legally be SORNed, there's no functional difference.

    Well, I s'pose there is the very tiny handful of vehicles that haven't changed keeper or been taxed since 1998...
  • unholyangel
    unholyangel Posts: 16,863 Forumite
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    AdrianC wrote: »
    But since any vehicle that isn't taxed must legally be SORNed, there's no functional difference.

    Well, I s'pose there is the very tiny handful of vehicles that haven't changed keeper or been taxed since 1998...

    As I said, I do appreciate its a subtle difference, but it is a difference imo.

    Plus there are plenty of people who think having a vehicle that requires a nil licence means they don't need to tax their car. I wouldn't put it past them to misunderstand insurance rules also!
    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
  • prowla
    prowla Posts: 13,162 Forumite
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    Because it's a Statutory Off-Road Notification; that's what it is, you're telling them that it's off the road.
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