The registered keeper is different to the owner of a vehicle. The registered keeper should be the person who is using the vehicle and keeping it, which can sometimes be different to the owner of the vehicle or the person who is responsible for paying for it.
The person who is responsible for the vehicle in terms of official communications from the police and the DVLA is known as the registered keeper, but the owner is the person who has paid for the car or was given it as a present.
The DVLA emphasizes that the person who is named on the registration document, which is sometimes also known as a V5 document, may not necessarily be the owner and that a V5 is not proof of ownership.
For example, this is the case with a company car. The car is owned by the
company, but the registration documents (the V5) should show the registered keeper to be the person who uses it on a daily basis, such as an employee.
When a car is used by a married couple, the ownership of any property is typically classed as joint. If the husband was driving the vehicle and stopped by the police for having no insurance, the police would normally accept that he was a joint owner of the vehicle and not investigate the wife for further offenses, such as the owner permitting no insurance.
The registered keeper is normally responsible for other offenses, such as parking tickets, so it is probably best to change the registration documents if you are classed as the owner, but not the user or keeper. There are also other situation where you would be classed as the owner of the vehicle for an insurance offense, such as if you give permission for someone to use the vehicle when you know full well that the car is not insured or roadworthy.
Generally, most insurance companies will insist that the person they are insuring is the primary vehicle user and they also can specify that they are the registered keeper. IT is ultimately their decision who they will and will not insure.
Requesting Information About The Registered Keeper From The DVLA
If you want to request information about the registered keeper of a vehicle from the DVLA, you will need to have ‘reasonable cause’. This may be the case when you want to find out who:
- Was responsible for causing an accident
- Is the owner of a vehicle that has been abandoned
- Is the owner of a vehicle that has been parked illegally on private land
- Should be issued parking tickets
- Is responsible for driving off after not paying for goods or services
- Is the owner of a vehicle that is suspected of insurance fraud
The information you can request includes the details of a registered keeper of a vehicle, information about previous vehicle keepers of a car that is now registered in your name and the information that the DVLA holds about you.
If you are concerned about a Private Car Parking Management Company, these are only allowed to request information from the DVLA if they are members of the British Parking Association or the Independent Parking Committee.
To make a request, you will need to fill in the appropriate form and send your application via post. The form you need varies depending on who is making the request and reason(s) they are making it. Further information, such as how to pay and where your application should be sent to can be found on each form:
- If you are an individual making the request, you will need a V888 form
- If you are a company making the request, you will need a V8882 form
- If you are a company that issues parking charge notices, you will need a V8883 form
If you want more information about requesting information from the DVLA, please visit their website.