UK NOVA - a word of warning.

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Madnorton

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Customer buys Commando imported under NOVA, speaks to DVLA to see what is needed to get V5, sends off all required paperwork and 2 months later it is refused a V5.
The reason why is that he hasn't supplied who originally sold the bike and the original registration. Impossible as it was exported to Canada.
Seems like DVLA are applying different rules to NOVA on historic bikes than they would apply to a 6 year old Ford fiesta.
This could be a concern as it effectively makes all historic bikes being sold in the UK with NOVA paperwork the value of the parts. It seems that the DVLA are confusing required paperwork with supporting paperwork, club dating certificates are supporting paperwork, and thus not a reason for refusal for issuing an ownership document - I wonder what club dating supporting paperwork they would get with a 6 year old Ford fiesta.
Looks like the dimwits at DVLA are getting confused.
 
Madnorton said:
Looks like the dimwits at DVLA are getting confused.
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What do you mean by are, I have found its a lottery and dimwits have always been confused there.

Best get https://www.fbhvc.co.uk/ The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs involved, they helped out a few people when the DVLA tried to apply the full rules for engine changes when they do not apply to vehicles over 25 years.
 
I had this problem when trying to register my Atlas. The dimwits (DVLC) sent all my application documents back saying I needed to include the US title. When I spoke to the dealer/importer he said this had happened to him several times, & to send the documents back with a note saying the title was not available & not needed, as there was a dating certificate from the Norton Owners Club. This I did & two weeks later the logbook arrived.

Martyn.
 
DVLA frequently don’t do joined up thinking. A member of my motorhome forum applied a couple of times to get his home build conversion of a van to be a motorhome. He did everything required, side windows, table, fitted bed, kitchen, WC, awning, decals - and they rejected it - no reason was given or forthcoming when they were questioned. They’re like a bunch of ‘let’s screw up everybody’ dictators.

he has now just repeated his application, 3rd time, but this time added a decal of a window to the other side of the rear doors, so now it looks like 2 windows and added an extra decal to the bonnet.

3rd time lucky it seems. Now it is a motorhome it will be cheaper to insure, and be allowed to travel at 70 and not 60 on major roads , unlike a simple builders van that it’s based on.

They do it because they can and aren’t answerable to anyone with any power.
 
I imported a triumph from Germany and I had the German registration document
I had a dating certificate from the triumph owners
I had the Nova
The registration application form states you have to send them the registration document from the country it came from and not a photo copy
An independent dating officer advised me(quite wrongly) not to send the original registration and to just send a copy!!
This I did and got refused!
Had to send it all off again with the original German registration document which the DVLA kept and destroyed
Seems if you don't do exactly what they ask you won't get
I'm told that the old school DVLA workers are now gone
And younger cheaper staff employed so I doubt things will improve
 
Seems that they don't understand their own requirements, trick seems to be to just send off the NOVA, in fact if you have a tax account and raised the NOVA you don't need to physically send anything to them, just scan the form, de-registration and last foreign owners title and complete online, I know a buyer of jap classic that has done it this way, bike bought. NOVA raised, he drove to Holland collected bike and completed online when he got back.
If you send the NOVA an age related application at the same time, the rules on the age related application are the prime documents it seems. Otherwise if the date of manufacture is correct on the NOVA, then you'll get an age related plate anyway. Clearly there is disconnect, as you don't send a club dating letter with 10 year old car but still get an age related plate, seems like the classic owners are being shafted with extra hoops and costs.
Tomorrow I'll raise an FOI as to why they consider classic vehicles with NOVA different from modern vehicles with NOVA.
Seems like they make things up each day to suit themselves.
 
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Some joy, after a reply directing me to their leaflet, it says the foreign owners title must be submitted, or if not submitted a dating record from the manufacturer. They are now looking into it. Clearly they have been confused with age related applications where the previous registration is lost, gone etc, in which case a club dating certificate is needed.
They were subsequently asked to respond to my specific questions under the FOI request, and if they thought a direction to a leaflet would suffice they are mistaken.
There is so much interpretation of their own guidance it is horrific.
 
I remember having to send in the original registration/title certificate. What happens if they screw up and lose it or they deny your application and you never see the original again? I mean it could never happen now could it! It is as if you get one shot at it and then you are stuck with an unregisterable bike.
 
Onder said:
I remember having to send in the original registration/title certificate. What happens if they screw up and lose it or they deny your application and you never see the original again? I mean it could never happen now could it! It is as if you get one shot at it and then you are stuck with an unregisterable bike.
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No, it’s not possible, the DVLA have never been known to utterly screwup any form of application sent to them. :eek:
 
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Mind you, I was pleasantly surprised by them when I overlooked my car tax by a good few months.. On phoning through my explanation and expecting some sort of penance, I was told to mail the missing portion pro rata and they'd issue an up to date reminder....
 
EstuaryBoy said:
Mind you, I was pleasantly surprised by them when I overlooked my car tax by a good few months.. On phoning through my explanation and expecting some sort of penance, I was told to mail the missing portion pro rata and they'd issue an up to date reminder....
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Really? Blimey!
I got fined once for not renewing the SORN on a frame that I had
This was back when you had to renew the SORN every year like you do with road tax
They never sent me a reminder and when I complained they told me there is no obligation on their part to send out reminders!
So I got the same fine as missing road tax renewal
I pointed out that the offence was " using a vehicle on a public road"
And it's just a frame sitting in a shed,this fell on deaf ears
The same thing happened to a mate of mine with a Landover
Very lucrative business
 
'tis true!! And I'm not even Welsh!!
(Perhaps they checked their records and saw I had previously owned a couple of Gilberns :) )
 
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baz said:
Really? Blimey!
I got fined once for not renewing the SORN on a frame that I had
This was back when you had to renew the SORN every year like you do with road tax
They never sent me a reminder and when I complained they told me there is no obligation on their part to send out reminders!
So I got the same fine as missing road tax renewal
I pointed out that the offence was " using a vehicle on a public road"
And it's just a frame sitting in a shed,this fell on deaf ears
The same thing happened to a mate of mine with a Landover
Very lucrative business
Click to expand...

Don‘t get me started on SORN.

I can’t think of anything else where you have to declare NOT doing something, And then get fined if you don’t!

I’ve got an old fishing rod, but I don’t fish, should I get a license NOT to fish? I do not have a shotgun, should I get a license to NOT own one? I don’t have a HGV license, should I get a license NOT to drive one? Etc,etc,etc…

The list is as endless as it is pointless…
 
EstuaryBoy said:
Tell 'em you don't own a TV..... Then the fun starts!!
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They used to send out a form every year to return saying why you didn't have a tv licence, with a prepaid envelope for the return. I filled it out, and in the comments I always put "same reason I don't have a dog licence, gun licence etc"

Then they just started sending a letter saying buy a licence or else...or call us on this premium rate number. I'm not paying you and hanging on the line at my expense to tell you I don't owe you any money.

7 years of threatening letters (which were all binned) and eventually a guy turned up at 8am one December morning. I had just got home from work at 5am so not impressed. Brief discussion on the doorstep to ascertain I didn't have a licence and he wanted my details for prosecution.

I invited him in (took him by surprise) and as he started to take my details, told me I had to have a licence. I told him I didn't, and he sarcastically replied "what's so special about you? EVERYONE has to have a licence" Touch paper was duly lit.... Because I don't have a %^$$$ing television you *%*&%%ing **^t

Mike drop moment.... oh, since when.....not 100% sure, but at least 15 years. Why didn't you respond to our letters? Because you never sent me a return envelope any more. Now, you have 3 seconds to be outside my property you (*(%(*&^(^

Never heard from then since :rolleyes:
 
EstuaryBoy said:
Tell 'em you don't own a TV..... Then the fun starts!!
Click to expand...
A mate of mine doesn’t own one. He get them knocking on the door telling him their ‘detector van’ has detected a signal at his address. Trouble is, he genuinely doesn’t own one, so all this ‘detector van’ stuff is clearly nonesense!

My mates like you John, but he takes it one step further and will not allow them in on principle “I don’t have a tv, so I don’t need a license. That’s the end of the matter as far as you’re concerned, and in no way does it allow you to disbelieve me or enter my property’ etc. He has great fun with them !
 
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Seeley920 said:
They used to send out a form every year to return saying why you didn't have a tv licence, with a prepaid envelope for the return. I filled it out, and in the comments I always put "same reason I don't have a dog licence, gun licence etc"

Then they just started sending a letter saying buy a licence or else...or call us on this premium rate number. I'm not paying you and hanging on the line at my expense to tell you I don't owe you any money.

7 years of threatening letters (which were all binned) and eventually a guy turned up at 8am one December morning. I had just got home from work at 5am so not impressed. Brief discussion on the doorstep to ascertain I didn't have a licence and he wanted my details for prosecution.

I invited him in (took him by surprise) and as he started to take my details, told me I had to have a licence. I told him I didn't, and he sarcastically replied "what's so special about you? EVERYONE has to have a licence" Touch paper was duly lit.... Because I don't have a %^$$$ing television you *%*&%%ing **^t

Mike drop moment.... oh, since when.....not 100% sure, but at least 15 years. Why didn't you respond to our letters? Because you never sent me a return envelope any more. Now, you have 3 seconds to be outside my property you (*(%(*&^(^

Never heard from then since :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes.... Their arrogance, ignorance, condescending and disbelieving attitude has to experienced to be believed! As you say, the assumption is you must be lying, so please end all this silly nonsense and pay up...
Then the 'legal action' letters start coming... again, you can end this by paying up.... Did get a: 'Detector Vans Are Coming To ***** ******' postcard (My road printed in BIG letters), again, please pay and stop wasting everbody's time.
Then the doorstep calls... 'We owe it to our customers' Fine, but I'm NOT one of your customers... 'May we come in?' NO... My house, my choice who crosses the threshold.. 'We can get a warrant' Really!!! Go try...
Next call nearly got nasty: 'Most honest people let us in'... That almost earned the guy a black eye, but instead I found my solicitor's business card and told him that if I was to be accused of lying, best it be done through proper channels...
Guilty until proven innocent, obviously....
 
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