Hey all, I just bought a car from a body shop that did a lien sale for unpaid repairs. Now I found out there are like 800 parking tickets in the previous owner’s name. Do I have to pay these or can I do something about it? I’m getting ready to do the change of ownership at the DMV, but IDK what to do about the tickets. Anyone have experience with this?
Ugh, that sounds frustrating. I’m pretty sure you don’t have to pay for those if they were before you bought it. But I think you might need to do an affidavit of non-liability with the city that issued the tickets.
@Teo
Wait, what’s an affidavit of non-liability? Like a document to say you’re not responsible for the old tickets?
Kip said:
@Teo
Wait, what’s an affidavit of non-liability? Like a document to say you’re not responsible for the old tickets?
Yeah, pretty much! You send it to the city, explaining you weren’t the owner when those tickets were issued. It’s usually free, but make sure to submit it within 10 days of getting the notice (if you get one).
Yeah, I had a similar issue. I bought a car from a body shop too and found a bunch of unpaid tickets in the previous owner’s name. I just did the affidavit and they wiped the tickets off. You should be good!
@Sage
Oh wow, that’s a relief. How long did it take for them to clear the tickets after you submitted the affidavit?
Zane said:
@Sage
Oh wow, that’s a relief. How long did it take for them to clear the tickets after you submitted the affidavit?
It was pretty quick, like a couple of weeks. But I had all the info ready, including the sale papers and stuff.
FYI, if you don’t get a notice about the tickets, you can still submit the affidavit. The body shop should have made you aware of those tickets though, just in case you missed them.
Nev said:
FYI, if you don’t get a notice about the tickets, you can still submit the affidavit. The body shop should have made you aware of those tickets though, just in case you missed them.
Yeah, they didn’t tell me about the tickets, but they were listed in the lien sale paperwork. So, I guess I just go ahead and send the affidavit.
So what’s the deal with this $38 fee for the affidavit? Is that just for the lawyer’s help or do you have to pay that no matter what?
Sloan said:
So what’s the deal with this $38 fee for the affidavit? Is that just for the lawyer’s help or do you have to pay that no matter what?
That’s just if you want a lawyer to upload a template for you. You can totally write it yourself for free using the info the lawyer gave you.
Thanks for the help, guys! I’ll try submitting the affidavit myself then. Hopefully, it works like you said!