Car interitance issue

[Dogscanteatonions]

Hi, sorry for posting in AIBU but need quick answers really. A relative has recently died and I have been left his car in the will (I am an executor and have seen the will - it's all very straightforward really)

Obviously it won't be mine until probate is done but what do I need to do about it in the meantime? It's currently parked on the road - there is no off-road parking at my relatives house. I will need to tell the insurance company but don't have the death certificate yet.

Obviously it needs to be taken off the road - I have a drive it can be left on and SORN - it's a fair journey but my insurance covers me for driving other cars but am I allowed to do that?

Obviously I will ask his solicitors but I'm not sure how quickly I will get an answer!

Sorry for your loss.
I would buy temporary 1 day insurance and drive it to yours then sorn it.
My insurance also covers me to drive other cars but I think (could be wrong) that the car needs to be insured already so with the owner having died I'd assume that
the previous insurance was invalid and you'd need your own full cover.

Your DOC won't be valid. Contact your insurer for temporary cover on the vehicle.

As for the angle of it not technically being yours yet I would say still take it to yours, it can't be left where it is and you can always state where it is and return if if any issues with the will arise (hopefully they wont).

Sorry for your loss.

I think as long as you’re insured it’s fine to drive it then do the SORN once it’s parked up. Is it taxed?

You don’t need to be the registered owner of a car to drive it and be insured on it.

If I remember correctly, the other car has to be insured even if you are covered to drive other cars on your own insurance.
I’d speak to insurers who must have encountered this situation. You’d probably need to be added as a temporary named driver.

When my dad died, I contacted the insurers and they were able to move the policy to me as the executor so I could take it home to mine and sell it. As it was low value, and the will was very straightforward, probate wasn't needed to sell, it was just liquidating assets for the estate

If you already have an insured car then it's probably easiest to add the inherited car to your current insurance policy for a few days while you move it. We did this when we were helping MIL move house so that we could drive her car only cost a few pounds.

Executors can move and secure assets. As you are the beneficiary as well moving it to your house is the sensible thing to do. You can't leave it where it is. It's no longer insured.

I'm sorry for your loss.

I had this with my dads car. I had to tax and insure it as my dads insurance was not valid after he died, therefore the car was not insured by an 'owner' so I couldn't drive it on my policy.

I added it to my insurance for a few days, drove it home and the declared it SORN.

We sold my dad's car before probate. It wasn't needed. We were in similar position in that it needed moving and a friend was buying it. There's a section on the v5 to fill in when someone dies I think or we wrote a letter, can't remember but it was much less complicated than I thought it was going to be

Do you want the car? If not it might be easier just to sell it to a local dealer. They will be insured to come and take it away and will know how to deal with the V5 etc for a deceased owner.

I will keep it although not really up to making decisions at the moment. Does it need to be off road asap? I can't contact his insurers until I have a death certificate but that won't be too long.

Just want to move out it off road and SORN it until probate gone through

An executor doesn't need probate to be able to deal with the estate. It is effectively your car when you want it to be and you can use it as such.

For certain things (sale of shares, access to bank accounts over a certain amount, and selling land) probate is essential. For disposing of a car - not necessary.

See this www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement/keeping-the-vehicle

Some insurers will do a week or two of free temporary cover for a second car while you swap things around.

I wouldnt worry - theres no immediate rush

When I had this issue I rang up the insurance company and was able to transfer the insurance to me and I became the policy holder without any extra cost (this is assuming you know the insurance company) - in the meantime I think you would be OK to drive it on your policy as the insurance policy on the car is still valid albeit now being held by the estate.

also contact the DVLA - they dont need a death certificate; just fill in the V5 and send it with a letter explaining the circumstances - see www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement/keeping-the-vehicle for more info. once you have transferred ownership you will need to tax it or SORN it but in the meantime I think you are free to drive it to your house/ other location

the meantime I think you would be OK to drive it on your policy as the insurance policy on the car is still valid albeit now being held by the estate.

The estate refers to money and property owned. Not insurance held. It would be rare that a policy didn't end upon death.

I was very surprised when I had something similar. After the car had been off-road for months, I registered it into my own name, and arranged temporary insurance so I could sell it.... and then the deceased's insurers told me that as I named driver, it had been insured for me to drive for (?3?) months while the estate was being sorted out. They hadn't told me when I notified them of the policyholder's death.