Newly purchased vehicles

You may receive a PCN for a contravention that occurred before you were the registered keeper of the vehicle, ie before you bought your car.

How this can happen

If we cannot match the image of a vehicle registration to our database we contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and request details of the vehicle and the recorded registered keeper.

If the DVLA details have not been updated following the sale of a vehicle, the wrong person may receive a PCN.

Whether buying or selling a vehicle it is your joint responsibility to ensure the DVLA records for the vehicle are updated.

What to do if it happens

You can make a Representation and transfer liability for the PCN to the appropriate person, normally the vehicle's previous owner.

However, if they fail to pay a PCN for a vehicle you now possess, your vehicle may be immobilised or removed.

How to prevent it happening

If you are considering buying a vehicle you can check whether it is subject to any outstanding PCNs by emailing the following information to OutstandingCCPenaltyCharges@TfL.gov.uk:

Your full name and address for identification purposes
An e-mail address for the information to be sent to
The complete vehicle registration number (only one per enquiry is permitted)
Confirmation that you have obtained the explicit consent of the current registered keeper of the vehicle (or if unregistered, the owner of the vehicle) for the information to be provided to you

Please note

This email address is for the process outlined above only. Should you have any other queries or wish to update your account details; you can contact our call centre on 0845 900 1234. Alternatively you may prefer to write to us; full TfL contact address details can be found on our contact us section
We can only confirm if there are outstanding Penalty Charges. An enquiry cannot be made to ascertain whether the vehicle has been captured within the zone and if you therefore need to pay the charge
Further details of any outstanding Penalty Charges can only be provided to the person deemed liable for those penalties
By making an enquiry via this process you are not informing us that you are now the keeper of a vehicle. Therefore any account that you may have with TfL will not be updated and any relevant PCNs will not be reissued. To do this you must contact us using the details above
Should you wish to make a representation against any PCNs you have already received you should follow the instructions on the PCN

Data Protection Act 1998

TfL will only process the personal information you provide for the purpose of the administration of the PCN Checker enquiry service. Your personal information will be properly safeguarded and processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. It may be disclosed to or requested from the registered keeper of the vehicle in question. If, as a result of your enquiry, TfL has reason to believe that there has been an abuse of this service and/or an offence under the Data Protection Act 1998 may have been committed, your personal information may be disclosed to relevant third parties, including law enforcement agencies
It is an offence under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998 to knowingly or recklessly, obtain, disclose, sell or advertise for sale, or bring about the disclosure of personal data, without the consent of the Data Controller (TfL)
TfL specifically prohibits you from making any other commercial use of the information you receive or in any way selling, publishing or publicising it
TfL will provide your name, address, and e-mail address to the registered keeper of the vehicle that you have enquired about if requested to do so by that person. Your use of this service indicates your consent to the release this information.

By using this service you are confirming your acceptance of these terms and conditions and your agreement that you will only use the information you receive for purposes relating to your possible purchase of the vehicle.