I'm about to buy a caravan from a private owner and register it with Cris - it's not currently Cris-registered. What will I need to get from the seller to prove ownership to Cris please?
Do you mean present owner has not updated Cris reg himself ? Then do not buy it until you have checked with Cris that it is or never has been stolen.
Or is this a foreign built caravan that has never been registered with Cris before ? In that case you just need a receipt from seller or probably nothing at all. Chris is only a voluntary system so don’t put too much faith in it.
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Thanks - the person he bought it from registered it with Cris, but he didn't. I guess I should check the ownership with Cris - I only didn't because he showed me the Cris documents so I thought it unlikely he would try to diddle me with a stolen van.
I can get a receipt on the back of a napkin, if that will suffice - thanks. They seem to be busy at the moment otherwise I'd have asked them.
All UK built caravans since 1992 are registered with Cris when new but it is up to subsequent owners to update ownership details with Cris. Remember the whole thing is voluntary. Nothing like the DVLA. You can pay Cris £20 to check details using number etched into windows before you buy then you know.
The danger point is buying a caravan that owner did not update details with Cris. He might have bought in good faith say off eBay but caravan could have been stolen several owners ago & if you then update with Cris & it comes up as stolen then insurance co that originally paid out will either reclaim caravan or require you to pay them for their loss. This after you have already paid for caravan.
If you intend insuring the caravan then the insurance company will most likely expect the CRIS registration to be updated respectively by yourself for reasons of traceability in the past and the future. Although it's not compulsory to register the caravan with CRIS it's not really much different to microchipping your dog just in case your beloved dog does happen to get stolen so it's just down to a matter of personal choice. Personally I think it's practical to register your caravan as it's just a one off initial payment for peace of mind.
We have never ever had an insurance company ask us if a caravan is CRIS registered as basically it is not any of their business whether CRIS registered or not as of theirs as the CRIS registration is not mandatory.
Always a good idea though to check with CRIS if there are any issues and registering the caravan to yourself as then when selling you are not in a situation.
We bought our caravan in Holland and have never registered it with CRIS, however I looked at the CAMC insurance policy and they need to see CRIS documentation before they would pay out any monies. I’m going to register just in case.