They don’t all turn up with a camera crew, but unfortunately, we often get calls from our members advising the enforcement officers are on their way, and what can they do? The answer at that stage is often ”very little”.
These calls mostly stem from the DVLA having the wrong registered keeper on their database, so at the time of the offence, the trader is shown as still being the keeper of the vehicle. Consequently, a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) is sent to the trader, who sometimes simply forwards it to the new owner and assumes it has been dealt with.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
If payment is not received, then the issuer of the PCN will pursue the trader. If they pass the PCN to one of their debt recovery companies, then it can be sent to the Traffic Enforcement Centre (Tec) for issue. Each of these steps incurs a charge.
So, for example, the daily ULEZ fee is £12.50 a day, but failure to pay within three days can result in a PCN of £85 or thereabouts. And, if it gets to the enforcement stage, the amount to be paid is close to £300.
If the real keeper has been to London, say 10 times, the enforcement officers could be wanting you to pay £3,000 for fees of just £125.
So, whatever you do, don’t ignore a PCN!
Should you receive a PCN, you must contact the DVLA with all the evidence you have so they can change the registered keeper on their database. If possible, get written confirmation such as a signed letter from the new owner, and ask the DVLA to provide a letter for you confirming that you are not the registered keeper, and advising who now is. Then should any future PCN be issued, you can provide this letter to whoever you need to, if necessary.
As you will be aware, the DVLA have a significant backlog, and contacting them when the enforcement officers come calling is never going to get the matter resolved in time. Many of these agencies will only accept a letter from the DVLA confirming the correct keeper’s details.
So, act quickly! Don’t take your eye off the ball until you have the DVLA’s confirmation that their database has been amended.
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