1. Send us the vehicle and site details
We normally ask for clear photographs, the registration and make/model where known, the precise commercial site location, how long the vehicle has been present, who controls the land and any known connection to a current or former occupier.
2. We review the circumstances and legal route
Not every vehicle that looks abandoned can lawfully be treated in the same way. We consider the land arrangement, known ownership information, why the vehicle is there, whether a bailment may exist, whether another statutory route is relevant and what further enquiries are required.
3. Notices and enquiries where appropriate
Where the circumstances support it, we coordinate the appropriate notice and vehicle / keeper enquiries. A notice placed on a vehicle is evidence of a step taken in the case; it is not by itself automatic legal authority to tow, sell or dispose of the vehicle.
Where a Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 Schedule 1 procedure is applicable, the statutory form and method of notice depend on the purpose of that notice. A notice of intention to sell must give a reasonable opportunity to collect and is subject to the specific Schedule 1 requirements.
4. Removal only when there is lawful authority
Once the case review confirms a lawful basis for removal, collection can be arranged. Section 54 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 restricts private immobilisation and movement of vehicles without lawful authority, so we do not present expiry of a site notice alone as sufficient authority to remove a vehicle.
5. Storage and post-removal handling
Where a vehicle has lawfully been removed, it can be held while the relevant post-removal steps are completed. Any proposed sale or disposal is assessed separately and only progressed where the applicable legal basis and notice requirements have been satisfied.
Timescales
There is no single statutory 7, 14 or 28-day period that can safely be applied to every commercial private-land vehicle case. The correct period depends on the legal route and facts. For example, where the Torts Act power-of-sale procedure applies, Schedule 1 requires a reasonable opportunity to take delivery and imposes additional requirements in particular circumstances.