Selling a late parent's caravan or motorhome

You can sell it once you have the legal right to deal with their estate, which in England and Wales usually means a grant of probate or letters of administration, and GOV.UK advises not to put property on the market until you have it. For a motorhome or campervan you then write to DVLA's Sensitive Casework Team with the right part of the log book; a touring caravan's change of keeper goes through CRiS, and a static depends on the park's agreement.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have different probate rules, and GOV.UK says the DVLA process is different in Northern Ireland.

Who can sell it

If there is a will, the executors named in it apply for probate.
If there is no will, the closest living relative can apply to be the administrator. That is normally the husband, wife or civil partner, then any children aged 18 or over.
Applying costs £526 if the estate is worth more than £5,000, and nothing if it is £5,000 or less. GOV.UK says you will usually get the grant within 12 weeks of applying.

Motorhomes and campervans: telling DVLA

Tell Us Once can let DVLA know about the death where the service is available, but you still have to tell DVLA separately when you sell the vehicle, and before you sell it if you want to keep a private number plate.

Write a letter giving your relationship to the person who died, the date they died, and who should be paid any vehicle tax refund. Send it with the right part of the log book to DVLA Sensitive Casework Team, Swansea, SA99 1ZZ.

To a private buyer: fill in section 2 of the log book (section 6 on the older style), give the buyer the green new keeper slip, and send the rest of the log book with your letter.
To a dealer or buying company: the trader fills in the yellow section. Send the perforated part with your letter and give the trader the rest.
If the log book is missing: tell the buyer they will need to apply for one on form V62, which costs £25. Your letter to DVLA also needs the date of sale and the buyer's name and address.

If the family keeps it for a while before selling, even without using it, the person keeping it has to tell DVLA they are the new keeper and tax it in their own name. GOV.UK says you can be prosecuted for using it on a public road before it is taxed and insured in your name.

Touring caravans: CRiS

There is no log book. The CRiS registration document goes to the buyer and the sale is reported to CRiS in the usual way, online or on the CVR7 section of the document. Replacement documents are sold to the registered keeper, so if you can't find it, phone CRiS on 0203 282 1000 and ask what they need from an executor.

Pitch fees, site fees and storage

A caravan on a holiday park or in storage usually comes with an agreement that keeps running after the owner dies. Find it early and check the notice period and what is owed. For a static, the Business Companion guidance to holiday parks says the pitch licence may cover passing the caravan to a family member after the owner's death, and the options for selling it are set out on the static caravan page.

Selling it

Buyers of an inherited caravan or motorhome ask the same questions as any other, and the habitation and service records matter more when there is no owner to answer them. If you can't find the service history, say so in the advert. The costs of each route are on the caravan, motorhome and campervan pages, and a buying company, covered in this guide, is the route with the least to arrange.