Selling a deceased relative's car

[Rocinante]

I have a car of a deceased relative, to sell, (not a Volvo - Anyone want a Suzuki SX4 S-Cross ?).

I've looked up the DVLA website
https://www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-b...ng-the-vehicle

Best I can tell, I just sell it in the usual manner, but include a letter when I mail in the log book section, and don't need to do anything prior.

Am I reading that correctly ?

[ITSv40]

The vehicle is part of the deceased estate. Probate needs to be granted to the executors before anything can be sold or disposed of. Once propate is granted deal with DVLA as per the link.

If the deceased hasn't left a will.you would need to apply for Letters of administration before dealing with the estate. This applies to England, other jurisdictions will have other rules.

[griston64]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

I have a car of a deceased relative, to sell, (not a Volvo - Anyone want a Suzuki SX4 S-Cross ?).

I've looked up the DVLA website
https://www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-b...ng-the-vehicle

Best I can tell, I just sell it in the usual manner, but include a letter when I mail in the log book section, and don't need to do anything prior.

Am I reading that correctly ?

Where are you based as I'm looking for similar for my Wife

Cheers

[griston64]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

The vehicle is part of the deceased estate. Probate needs to be granted to the executors before anything can be sold or disposed of. Once propate is granted deal with DVLA as per the link.

It's confirmation if you live in Scotland. Also depending on circumstances you don't need either.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by griston64

Where are you based as I'm looking for similar for my Wife

Cheers

If your location is accurate, I'm about 11 miles away from you.
It's a 2015, about 60,000 miles on it

[DaveNP]

Just been 2 and a bit hours in the bank dealing with the estate of a deceased relative or I might have answered earlier
Having read the link and thinking back to when we transferred my sister's car (admittedly a few years back) yes selling a deceased relatives car is that simple, just sell it like normal and put a covering letter with the paperwork to DVLA.
Regarding Probate, Letters of Administration, Confirmation etc, having been the Executor of a Will with a Grant of Probate, if there is an Executor let them do the deal and paperwork, they will be held responsible and they also have to add up and divide the estate, which just gets more tangled if someone has had some money from selling off something, but then they incurred expenses to advertise it, and they are due to inherit etc etc.
Various official bodies are OK to deal with you before you have a Grant of Probate depending on their own policies and how big an amount of money you're dealing with, seems like DVLA is one of those, none the less I would be inclined to include a photocopy* of the Grant of Probate (if you've got one) and/or the Death Certificate with the paperwork and letter explaining the sale, experience suggests to me that sending them a bit more than the minimum saves them coming back being picky about things.
That assumes that Rocinate isn't the Executor or hasn't been left the car outright in the Will.


*some bodies will not accept a photocopy, only an original or official certified copy, but nowadays it seems many will accept a photocopy or even a scan or photo from your phone attached to an email, as DVLA don't ask to see it a photocopy will still exceed their expectations.

[griston64]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

If your location is accurate, I'm about 11 miles away from you.
It's a 2015, about 60,000 miles on it

I've sent you a pm

Cheers

[pjm84]

Originally Posted by DaveNP

.......
Having read the link and thinking back to when we transferred my sister's car (admittedly a few years back) yes selling a deceased relatives car is that simple, just sell it like normal and put a covering letter with the paperwork to DVLA.

Correct. It doesn't form part of the estate. The motor vehicle is classed as Chattel.

Sadly I have my late Father's L200 to sell.....

[SnineT]

If it's the UK the car is a chattel and does form part of the estate.


If anyone is unsure start here...

Box 11.2
Household and personal goods
The term ‘household and personal goods’ means
things such as furniture, pictures, paintings,
china, TV, audio and video equipment, cameras,
jewellery, cars, caravans, boats, antiques, stamp
collections and so on. You do not have to get a
professional valuation for ordinary household
and personal goods where you can use publically
available data to estimate the value, for example,
to value second hand cars. If you do estimate
the value, you need to use the open market
value at the date of death, not an insurance or
replacement value. The open market value is the
realistic selling price for the item.
This is the price the item would have been likely to fetch if sold
at auction or otherwise advertised publically.
If you think any item may be worth more than
£1,500, or you’re not sure, we advise you to get a
professional valuation.
The value could be low, or even nil, provided that
it is honest.

https://assets.publishing.service.go...IHT2062011.pdf page 20


You will normally need a grant of probate before you can sell it if your name isn't on the V5, a dealer won't touch one without it, not a reputable one anyway.

[griston64]

All of the above isn't the case if it belongs to your spouse as that all passes without any confirmation ( the vehicle is in Scotland so no Probate ) to them

I have already been in touch with the OP about this matter