To the innocent buyer of a personal number plate, it’s easy to fall prey to unscrupulous activities. After all, most of us buy a personal number plate occasionally…. so we’re not aware of the potential pitfalls.
Today I received this query from a lady, who (understandably) was rather upset….
“…if the grantee on a retention document cannot be contacted or has moved house, how can i now use a number plate i have purchased if i cannot get the grantee to fill out the retention document ….”
The answer, in short, is… you can’t.
The ‘grantee’ on a number plate retention document V778 must add the buyer to the retention document, as a nominee. It requires the grantee’s signature to do this. As a buyer you must make sure it’s done at the time of purchase. Once you’ve been added as the nominee, you can assign the cherished registration number to your car.
Unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story. As the buyer of the personal registration number, even if you’ve had your name added as nominee, you’re still vulnerable. The grantee still has the rights to assign the registration number to vehicle of his own – even though he has sold it to you. An unscrupulous seller may just do this. In fact, this happened to my brother some years ago.
As the named nominee on the number plate retention document, your rights are limited.
What you can do as the nominee:
- Assign the registration number to your vehicle. That’s it.
What the grantee can do:
- Remove your name as the nominee
- Renew the document when it’s due to expire
- Change the address details
- Claim the document is lost
As the nominee you have no right to do any of these.
There’s a big hole in the cherished registration transfer scheme which leaves the buyer open to being swindled. The way to minimise the risk is to assign the personal number plate to your vehicle straightaway. Once you have assigned it, the grantee has no more rights to the registration number.
Unfortunately, buying a personal number plate is not without its risks.
In summary, my advice…..
- Use a reputable company to manage the transfer of the number plate for you. Even if you’ve purchased the registration number privately.
- If you’re not purchasing via a company, have your name added as the nominee before you hand over payment
- If you can, assign the registration number to your vehicle as soon as possible
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