Form library · Housing and property
Abandoned vehicle report form
A record of a suspected abandoned vehicle for estate officers, car park operators and land managers. Record the exact location and whose land it is, scan the number plate, note the make, model and colour, and the tax and MOT status from the GOV.UK checks. Record the signs it is abandoned, any hazard, when it was first seen and how many days it has been there, with photos, then the notice, the council and police references, and when and by whom it was removed. Every question is listed below, and you can fill the live form in on this page.
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How do you report an abandoned vehicle?
In England and Wales, report an abandoned vehicle to the local council. Give the exact location, the registration, make, model and colour, how long it has been there and its condition, such as flat tyres, broken windows or missing plates. You can check its tax status on GOV.UK first. Under section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, the council must remove a vehicle that appears to be abandoned on a road or on land in the open air, giving the occupier notice first if the land is occupied.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 17 October 2026 against GOV.UK: report an abandoned vehicle, section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 (removal of abandoned vehicles), GOV.UK: check if a vehicle is taxed and GOV.UK: report an untaxed vehicle.
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Every question in the abandoned vehicle report template
An abandoned vehicle report for estates, car parks and private land: location, vehicle details and plate scan, tax and MOT status, condition, hazards, how long it has been there, notices, council and police references. 4 sections and 35 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
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This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Client: the project's customer
- Site: the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
Location and vehicle
- ProjectShort answerFills in from the project name
- ClientShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Site*Short answerFills in from the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Date of this report*Date
- TimeTime
- Reported by*Short answer
- Exact location (car park bay, street, block)*Short answer
- Vehicle position (GPS)Short answer
Optional. Tap Mark current location on site to record the position.
- LandChoose one
- Our land or car park
- Public road
- Other private land
- Not sure
- GuidanceGOV.UK: report an abandoned vehicle to the local council (England and Wales). Under section 3 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, the council must remove a vehicle that appears to be abandoned on a road or on land in the open air. If the land is occupied, the council must first give the occupier notice, and cannot remove it if the occupier objects.
- Registration numberShort answer
- Scan the number plateScan a label: registration number
Optional. Scan the label or tag to capture its numbers.
- Make, model and colourShort answer
- Tax status (GOV.UK vehicle tax check)Choose one
- Taxed
- Untaxed
- SORN
- Not checked
- MOT status (GOV.UK MOT history)Choose one
- Valid
- Expired
- Not checked
- CheckGOV.UK: an untaxed vehicle seen on a road can also be reported to DVLA online.Shown when “Tax status (GOV.UK vehicle tax check)” is “Untaxed” and “Land” is “Public road”
Condition
- First seen thereDate
- Days thereWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckFirst seen is after the date of this report. Check the dates.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Signs it is abandonedTick all that apply
- Flat tyres
- Broken windows
- Missing number plates
- Badly damaged
- Burnt out
- Full of rubbish
- Not moved for weeks
- Untaxed
- Is it a hazard (burnt out, leaking fluids, open or unsafe)?Yes or No
- WarningKeep people away from the vehicle. If it may be stolen or linked to a crime, tell the police as well as the council.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Photos of the vehicle, plates and surroundingsPhotos
Notices and reports
- Date a notice was put on the vehicleDate
- Date reported to the councilDate
- Council referenceShort answer
- Police referenceShort answer
- Date removedDate
- Removed by (council, police or owner)Short answer
Actions and sign-off
- Are further actions needed?Yes or No
- Further actionsRepeat for each action. Each one asks:Shown when “Are further actions needed?” is Yes
- What needs doing?*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Urgent
- High
- Medium
- Low
- Who will do it?Short answer
- Due dateDate
- StatusChoose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- Inspector name*Short answer
- Position or companyShort answer
- Inspector signatureSignature
- CheckSigning records what was found on the day. It does not make unsafe equipment safe or replace a thorough examination, design check or service by a competent person.
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A completed abandoned vehicle report report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Abandoned vehicle report FAQs
Does the council remove vehicles on private land?
The council's duty covers vehicles that appear abandoned on a road or on any land in the open air. If the land is occupied, the council must first give the occupier notice, and cannot remove the vehicle if the occupier objects.
What makes a vehicle look abandoned?
The form lets you record signs such as flat tyres, broken windows, missing number plates, heavy damage, rubbish inside, no tax and not being moved for weeks. It also works out how many days it has been there from the date it was first seen.
What if it is burnt out or dangerous?
Keep people away from it. If it may be stolen or linked to a crime, tell the police as well as the council, and record both references on the form.
What if it is untaxed?
Check the tax on GOV.UK using the registration number. An untaxed vehicle seen on a road can also be reported to DVLA online, using the registration, make, model, colour and location.
Can I scan the number plate?
Yes. Scan the plate on the SiteSurvey app to capture the registration, then add the tax and MOT status. Dated photos, the notice date and the council or police references show the steps you took.
Who uses this?
Housing associations, councils' estate teams, car park and retail park operators, and facilities teams.
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