Claiming an abandoned vehicle

To claim your vehicle that has been deemed abandoned, you need to provide evidence of ownership. Evidence must be produced within an agreed timescale or the vehicle will be removed to safe storage.

• If your vehicle has not been towed
• If your vehicle has been towed

If your vehicle has not been towed

Acceptable evidence would be:

• The original purchase invoice
• Vehicle Registration Document (DVLA Form V5)
• A Certificate of Insurance showing the vehicle detail and the insured person's name
• A document showing the vehicles details together with the claimants name and address

For more information, contact Street Environment Enforcement, telephone 020 8891 7456

How to provide evidence

Production of documentation can be made in the following ways:

• In person (by appointment) - Street Environment Enforcement Team, Civic Centre, 44 York Street, Twickenham TW1 3BZ
• Email scanned documents to streetsceneenforcement@richmond.gov.uk
• Fax your documents to 020 8891 7347. Once you have done so you must call us on 0208 891 7090 to let us know. You will be required to give your name, address, contact telephone number and the registration number of the vehicle in question. We will phone you back to confirm receipt of the documents.

If your vehicle has been towed

If your vehicle has been removed you should first contact us to find out if we are responsible. You can call us on 0208 891 7090 or email streetsceneenforcement@richmond.gov.uk.

We remove vehicles from public and private land, where they are considered to be abandoned or have not been claimed following a notice period.

What happens next

Following the removal of a vehicle we will make enquiries with the DVLA. If we are able to obtain details about the registered keeper, we will write to them to let them know that the vehicle has been removed and how it can be claimed.

Vehicles not claimed within 28 days of removal will be destroyed and a certificate of destruction will be sent to the DVLA.

Costs

If a vehicle has been removed as abandoned, removal and storage charges will apply. These storage costs must be paid to our contractor before the vehicle will be released. These currently stand at £200 for the initial removal and then £40 a day storage. The daily charge includes the day the vehicle was removed and the day it is claimed or removed from safe storage. These charges are subject to VAT.

Where to collect

Vehicles removed by the Council as abandoned are taken to a place of safe storage at:

Redcorn Ltd
Car Pound
8 Eley Road
London
N18 3BD

Telephone: 020 8803 0834

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Documents to produce

Vehicles will only be released in person at Redcorn Ltd. You are strongly advised to contact them by telephone (020 8803 0834) prior to attending to claim your vehicle.

You will need to provide proof that you are the owner or registered keeper of the vehicle, prior to it being released to you. Original documents must be taken in person as copies will not be accepted.

Accepted proofs:

• Vehicle Registration Document (DVLA Form V5, also known as your logbook); and
• some form of photographic identification (passport or driving licence).

If you do not live at the address registered with the DVLA, you will also need to provide a recent utility bill showing your current address.

If you are unable to produce the relevant documents to claim the vehicle, or you are not the owner but are claiming it on their behalf, contact us on 0208 891 7090 or email streetsceneenforcement@richmond.gov.uk for advice.

Surrendering your vehicle

Instead you may choose to surrender the vehicle to Redcorn Ltd. In doing so, you will not incur any of the removal and storage costs and would be allowed to visit the vehicle to remove any personal belongings, before it is destroyed.

Vehicles will only be released to be driven on the highway, once full payment of the removal and storage costs is made and where the vehicle is road legal. the vehicle must have valid road tax, insurance, and a valid MOT certificate.

Vehicles that are not road legal will only be released once full payment of the removal and storage costs is made, and where they are collected by a recovery vehicle.