Where a debt is established and the debtor cannot be found, the registered keeper of a vehicle may be a route to an address for correspondence or service. We consider such requests only where the creditor has legal standing and can show it. The DVLA applies a similar test: it releases keeper details to finance and debt recovery requesters only where reasonable cause is shown and supported by evidence, and we apply a comparable standard under data protection law.
Informal or disputed debts, and debts between individuals that are not documented, are outside what we can accept.
What counts as legal standing
- a County Court judgment or other court order that remains unsatisfied;
- a written finance, hire or lease agreement that is in default, where the creditor is entitled to recover the vehicle or the sum due;
- a documented debt in respect of which proceedings are contemplated, instructed through a solicitor or an authorised debt recovery firm.
Registered keeper, DVLA records and the debtor
The DVLA holds the registered keeper record. The keeper of a vehicle is not always the debtor, and the DVLA releases keeper details to finance and recovery firms only where its own criteria are met. We therefore ask how the vehicle is linked to the debtor, and we treat the registered keeper's details with the same caution that the DVLA does.
What we need
- the creditor's name and, for a company, the company number;
- the basis of the debt, with the relevant order, agreement or letter before claim;
- the amount outstanding and the steps already taken to find the debtor;
- the registration number and the reason it is linked to the debtor, for example that it was the subject of a finance agreement;
- your authority, if you act as an agent for the creditor.
How we treat the request
We check that the debt is documented, that the vehicle is linked to the matter and that tracing the keeper is proportionate. If the link between the vehicle and the debtor cannot be shown, we decline. We then confirm the fee in writing and carry out the trace. The result is checked and released to the instructing creditor or representative.
Conduct after a result
Information we release must be used only to recover the debt in question. It must not be used to pressure, intimidate or follow the debtor, and creditors must comply with the rules that apply to debt collection, including those on harassment.
What we will not do
- We do not trace a vehicle to find a person who owes money informally, such as a friend or relative.
- We do not trace a debtor in order to visit, approach or confront them outside lawful process.
- We do not act where the debt is in dispute and no order has been made, unless a solicitor confirms in writing the basis on which the keeper is needed.
Why legal standing matters
A debt is a legitimate reason to need contact details, but it can also be a pretext. People who owe money, and people who have been wrongly accused of owing it, are entitled to privacy, and some people have good reasons not to be found. For that reason we ask for the order or agreement, not just a statement that money is owed.
Common questions
Do you accept instructions from individuals? Yes, where they hold a judgment or a written agreement in default and can show it. An informal loan between friends or family is not accepted.
Is a vehicle trace the same as a debtor trace? No. A vehicle trace identifies the registered keeper of a vehicle. It does not locate a person, and the keeper may not be the debtor.
What if the keeper turns out not to be the debtor? Where the result does not match the debtor, you must not use the information to pursue the keeper. Tell us so that we can record that the trace did not meet its purpose.
Have a lawful reason to identify a registered keeper?
Tell us what has happened and why you need the information. We will reply within 24 hours.
Request a trace