Registered Keeper
Summary
The registered keeper of a vehicle is the person or organisation recorded on the DVLA's vehicle register as the keeper — not necessarily the owner. V5C (logbook) registration creates keeper status. For private parking enforcement, keeper identity is critical because POFA 2012 Schedule 4 enables operators to pursue the registered keeper if the driver is not identified. Keeper status and ownership are distinct: a fleet company may be the keeper while an employee is the driver; a lease company may be the keeper while the lessee drives. This distinction affects which POFA provisions apply and what defences are available.
Keeper vs owner — an important distinction
Being the registered keeper means your name and address are recorded on the DVLA vehicle register as the keeper of the vehicle. This is not the same as owning the vehicle. A leasing company may own the vehicle but register it in the lessee's name for operational purposes. A fleet employer may be registered as keeper of vehicles used by employees. A parent may buy a car registered in their child's name. Ownership — who actually holds title to the vehicle — is a separate legal question from keeper status. For parking enforcement purposes, it is keeper status, not ownership, that determines POFA liability.
Updating keeper status when a vehicle changes hands
When you sell or transfer a vehicle, you must notify the DVLA promptly using the V5C (either tearing off the green new keeper supplement or completing a V5C/2). Until the DVLA is notified, you remain the recorded keeper. Parking charges may be directed to you as the recorded keeper even if you sold the vehicle — in which case you need to demonstrate the transfer occurred before the charge date. Keep all documentation of vehicle sales and V5C transfers.
Keeper status and SORN
A Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) does not remove keeper status — it indicates the vehicle is not used on public roads and exempts the keeper from road tax, but the person who declared SORN remains the recorded keeper. A charge on a SORN vehicle that was used on the road without the keeper's knowledge (e.g., taken by a third party) raises a different set of issues — the keeper would need to establish they did not authorise the vehicle's use.
Checking your keeper status when you receive a charge
- ✓Check the V5C for the vehicle — does it show you as the registered keeper at the charge date?
- ✓If you sold the vehicle before the charge date, gather the V5C transfer documents, sale receipt, and insurance cancellation date.
- ✓If you are a fleet operator or leasing company, check your fleet management records for the allocated driver at the time of the charge.
- ✓If you are a hirer and the hire company is the keeper, check your hire agreement — it may include a clause transferring liability or obliging the hirer to respond.
- ✓Consider making a Subject Access Request to the DVLA to confirm what keeper information they held at the relevant date.
Sources
- Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994
- Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002
- Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can someone other than the registered keeper be pursued for a private parking charge?
- Yes — the driver can always be pursued under contract law if they can be identified. Keeper liability under POFA 2012 is specifically about pursuing the registered keeper where the driver is unknown. If the operator identifies the driver, they pursue the driver directly, regardless of who the keeper is.
- What if the vehicle is registered in a company name?
- Companies can be registered keepers. POFA Schedule 4 applies to both individual and corporate keepers. For a company vehicle, the keeper is the company; the driver was an employee or agent. The company receives the NtK as keeper and must either identify the driver or pay/appeal the charge. POFA Schedule 4 para 13 has specific provisions for fleet and hire vehicles.
- Does keeper status affect insurance obligations?
- Yes, indirectly. You are required to maintain third-party insurance for any vehicle for which you are the registered keeper and which is used on public roads (Road Traffic Act 1988). SORN exempts you from this requirement for vehicles kept off-road. Failing to insure as keeper is a criminal offence separate from any parking issue.
Related
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