SORN car parked in my tenants parking space?

[simonlpearce]

So last night went to visit my tenant and notice an E36 M3 Evo parked in his parking space, it had flat tyres and is looking a little tired. Being a fan of BMW's i ask if it is anything to do with my tenant, to which im told its been there weeks and he wants it moved. Absolutely fair enough.

Have a look on .gov and askmid and it is insured & MOT'd but has been declared SORN.

So what is the process here in terms of getting it moved? My first port of call will be to write a letter and stick it on the windscreen, but after that what is the next step? Assuming i have it towed as there is no response from the owner, where do i have it towed to?

Is there a legal way to become the owner of a vehicle? I know you can apply for the V5 and if it is not disputed you can hold the title to the car, but it still doesn't mean you own it and at any point the previous owner can claim it back.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[domsz4]

id start with the letter. just poking about the car a little bit might be enough to get some ones attention. other wise this may help.

maybe knock on a few neighbours doors?

https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla

 

[Mister T]

Report it to the council as an abandoned vehicle, they should tow it for you.

You'll be lucky to get anything out of the DVLA.

 

[Swiftly]

I assume the same procedure exists in England as in Scotland. Local authorities can also deal with abandoned vehicles. Even if the vehicle has a current SORN in place, it could be deemed to be abandoned if the vehicle has flat tyres, broken door mirrors, lights or windows and is attracting attention from the local idiots. The council would do a DVLA check to obtain the details of the Local Registered Keeper and would either visit if local or send out a letter. They would also serve the appropriate notices on the vehicle to advise the owner that the vehicle would be removed in x days. The final cost of removal however is down to the land owner if the vehicle is on private land. Council will only remove vehicle FOC if on the public highway

 

[srhutch]

I it's on private land I would contact the police and see what they say.

They might not be interested, but worth a call and hopefully they can point you in the right direction.

 

[simonlpearce]

It is on private land which i own.

The thing is i would rather acquire the car than have it sent to a scrappy. E36 M3 Evo's break for around £5k, plus the engine would transplant nicely into my E36 328 track car without too much effort.

Definitely i will stick a notice on it giving the owner x amount of days to respond. But rather than let the council get their grubby crushing hands on it, i would rather take it away and scrap it myself, if the law allows for such a thing?

 

[Swiftly]

You can't take it to get scrapped yourself as you don't have the log book. It could also be seen as you disposing of a stolen vehicle and the scrappies wouldn't do it. The police will possible turn up, but do nothing if it is on private land, They would however check to see if it has been stolen or who the LRK is. On a good day they may even visit the LRK if the owner lives local if the car is falling into disrepair and attracting unwanted attention As you say there is a monetary value in the parts of the car, you do not want to be accused of theft should the owner turn up to claim their car

 

[PerryGunn]

Perhaps this will give some guidance https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q441.htm

What the local council can do

The council will investigate whether the vehicle has been abandoned and will check to see whether it has been stolen or involved in an accident. If the vehicle has been abandoned on a road, including private roads and estates, the councilwill remove the vehicle. If the vehicle is on private land, the council will serve a 15 day notice of removal on the owner/occupier.

If the vehicle is of no value, the council can dispose of it immediately. If its considered to be of some value, the council will send a written notice of destruction to the owner. If the vehicle is unclaimed the council can dispose of it.

and you can report an abandoned vehicle to your council online
http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedirect/index.jsp?LGSL=372&LGIL=0&ServiceName=Report%20an%20abandoned%20vehicle

 

[simonlpearce]

Thanks for the link Perry some useful information there.

Will ring the local council/police and see what they suggest also.

 

[Scooba_Steve]

The police won't be interested as this will sit with the councils. Councils will vary widely when it comes to what they will and won't do on private land, some will want to see that the registered keeper isn't 'local' but then in most cases why would they update the V5 if moving.

Your best bet will be to obtain the registered keepers details from the DVLA but you'll have to pay and leave a notice on the car too giving them 14 days to remove it. Be careful though as if you are deemed to have prevented the owner from removing the car you will have committed an offence - so don't clamp or lock it in.

Or find a scrappy who will ask no questions!
I don't think you're very likely to be able to take possession of the vehicle without the owner's consent.

 

[srhutch]

The police won't be interested as this will sit with the councils. Councils will vary widely when it comes to what they will and won't do on private land, some will want to see that the registered keeper isn't 'local' but then in most cases why would they update the V5 if moving.

Your best bet will be to obtain the registered keepers details from the DVLA but you'll have to pay and leave a notice on the car too giving them 14 days to remove it. Be careful though as if you are deemed to have prevented the owner from removing the car you will have committed an offence - so don't clamp or lock it in.

Or find a scrappy who will ask no questions!
I don't think you're very likely to be able to take possession of the vehicle without the owner's consent.

Definatley worth calling the police. At least then it will be on record that you contacted them if the owner reports as stolen.

 

[simonlpearce]

So to update on this.

Spoke to the police on 101 and they have confirmed that the car is of no 'interest' to them. In that it is not wanted/stolen etc. They advised to speak with neighbors first and if no-one responds then i am entitled to have it recovered to a compound. Seems this would be at my cost which i can then get back from the owner if they decide they want it returned.

Have also spoken to the local council who said as it is private land, they cannot do anything. They advised to speak to the DVLA to get the details of the owner.

I'm half hoping i can somehow end up with the car by means of the owner selling it to me for the cost of my recovery fee's to have it removed if they do not respond, but either way will update with progress.

 

[mr wilks]

If a note on the screen brings no response & the police/council have zero interest id simply attach a tow hook to the front & drag it off the plot to the roadside where it will soon get removed :wink:

 

[BMWZ4MC]

If a note on the screen brings no response & the police/council have zero interest id simply attach a tow hook to the front & drag it off the plot to the roadside where it will soon get removed :wink:

That was my thought too, until you said you wanted it. How about removing the engine with it parked where it is. If that doesn't get the owner's attention then it's time to drag it into the road!
Alternatively, you could leave a note stating that you wish to buy the vehicle. That way you at least get to communicate with the owner. If it raises no response, see Plan A!

 

[simonlpearce]

Thing is its a bit of a way off from the main road, and i don't think a z4 is really made for towing, although a few McDonalds trays may aid in the process, lol.

Most likely someone will own up and shift it, or let me buy it for £500, one can dream.

 

[Taz]

so if somebody just decides to park up on your land then neither the police or the council will help you :thumbsdown: :headbang:

 

[simonlpearce]

so if somebody just decides to park up on your land then neither the police or the council will help you :thumbsdown: :headbang:

Yep, that's more or less the gist of it and the laws around how you go about having it removed are no where near black and white

 

[Taz]

so if somebody just decides to park up on your land then neither the police or the council will help you :thumbsdown: :headbang:

Yep, that's more or less the gist of it and the laws around how you go about having it removed are no where near black and white

but the minute you do something wrong whilst removing it they'll be all over you

 

[simonlpearce]

I guess i am just fortunate at this stage that my tenant doesn't own a car, or it could mean losing a tenant or having to offer a reduced rate.

 

[DumfriesDik]

Can you and a few mates move it to a public road?