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My brother-in-law had a stroke, but is able to function, is increasingly improving, and has moved to a homeless shelter. He can communicate somewhat through texting, notes, and very limited orally.


He has a 20-year-old vehicle that my other brother-in-law has been having to move around his neighborhood to prevent it from being towed away. It has not been insured since September, and not licensed since November. The title may or may not be in a storage locker 800 miles away. We do not want to give the keys back to the brother who has had the stroke unless he is medically cleared to drive. This vehicle is his only material asset. He bought it new. He doesn't want to sell it. We feel that if we move it to the shelter parking lot, it would be unbearable for the brother not to be able to drive it, and it would be a constant source of frustration to everyone, the shelter included.


We are at a loss as to what to do with this vehicle. But this craziness has to stop.


Please advise, you had a lot of good information the last time I wrote in.


Thank you, so much.

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I’ve just been through this with 16 stray sheep walking into our farm, and it took a lot of work, notices, blah blah blah before we could put them in a sale. I contacted the relevant authorities (the Council and Primary Industries Department) repeatedly for instructions. Perhaps for you that might mean contacting DMV and the police – ask them how to handle it. Cover your back by getting advice!

It may be getting a stat dec from brother that he is ill, homeless, unable to drive it for the foreseeable future, doesn’t have the title documents but wants to transfer it to you. It's his responsibility, whether or not he really wants to sell. Or if he wants you to hang on to it, and you have the power, you could rent it out for a few weeks. Perhaps you could put an ad on Craigs List looking for someone to have it parked on their block a way out of town.

You can’t be the first person with the problem, there has to be a way, like there was for me. It’s just a pain in the neck. My DH says next time we get ownerless stray sheep, he will shoot them all and put them down the gully. Unfortunately you can’t do that with a car! Good luck, Margaret
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Grandma1954 Mar 2022
hate the thought of pushing a sheep down a gully! All I can think of is stew, shepherd's pie, roasted leg, shanks....
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Does the other BIL not have a driveway to park the car? That would not require him to move it around every few days. How about a neighbor who has an extra space on his/her driveway that will let BIL park for cheap?

DMV can give a replacement for lost pink slip. There are ways. This can't be the first lost pink slip ever. DMV deals with this all the time. Go visit a DMV and ask.

Cars are expensive, especially now. Even a 20 y.o. cars can be worth thousands. Sell it if you/BIL can't keep it.
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First, you probably could not sell the vehicle anyway. Most places would require the title before a sale.
Placing the car in a Storage Unit might be an option, but that will cost monthly. Some storage places have outdoor spots that might not cost as much. There are other places that will allow parking for extended periods of time but all these options will cost, some more some less.
Have you talked to your brothers doctor? What is the possibility that he will medically be cleared to drive again? And will adaptations need to be made to the car? If so is it possible on a 20+ year old car? If there is little chance he will be cleared to drive I think the best option is to get rid of the car.
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BurntCaregiver Mar 2022
Not necessarily. They can get a title search done if the original title has been lost for some reason. Then a new one is issued.
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Why be at a loss as to what to do with your BIL's vehicle? You and your husband were not at a loss as to what to do with him after he had a stroke.
Drop the car off at the same homeless shelter he got dropped off in. I'm sure living in a homeless shelter after having a stroke is far more heartbreaking to him than the possibility of not driving his car.
The state's Department of Motor Vehicle can do a title search and get a new title issued if the original one is lost. It's not a free service though.
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The car should not be bil's excuse to stay here...for his sake. He needs PT/OT, he needs disabled housing and he needs provincial aid payments.

That's why I suggested that if you can afford, offer him money "for the car." The car may well be an incidental priority to getting him home to his services. The car itself symbolizes the burden, the truth, that he'll always be looking to you as a tether as he has no one else in the country. You've set boundaries, but there will always be something and he'll always want more.

That's why I'm saying perhaps the payment is worth it...for both of you
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Boomer, you can get a new title through MVD. I had to do this and it was really simple, however, your BIL is the one that will have to do it, might be able to do it via internet.

I would NOT sell his vehicle or encourage him to, not since he is making progress. Vehicles are waaaaaaaaaay over priced right now and he will need transportation soon at the rate he is improving and will not be able to replace it.

Can the family get it licensed and insured for him? Would this stop it from being towed? A 20 year old vehicle with state minimum liability insurance wouldn't be to expensive. Maybe do it for 6 months to give him time to recover. This would allow it to be legally parked at the shelter.

I guess I consider a vehicle a safe place for a homeless man to lay his head down, so I am hesitant to take that kind of security away. Especially with someone that has a history like your BIL.

Best of luck getting this sorted out.

ps: I worked with a lady that had a stroke, a pretty bad one, she was restricted from driving for 6 months, by law, then released to drive. So, it is entirely possible that he can't drive right now, even if he wanted, suspended license.
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Could you consider donating the car since it doesn't seem to have value? I hear ads about donating a car to certain organizations. They may want it for parts even if it isn't drivable. You could do an online search. Hope you arrive at a solution.
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In order to donate a vehicle to charity, you have to have the title. You can get another one, but it's a pain.

A 20 yo vehicle that probably hasn't been maintained in any sense of the word won't bring much. Is BIL hanging on to this for 'memory' reasons? If he is as poor as you say, he won't be capable of fixing this and a harder time getting a license to drive it.

Actually, it's really not your responsibility at all.
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AlvaDeer Mar 2022
This is what I think. The BIL is not someone incompetent with a POA to take over. They cannot do anything with his vehicle whether there is a title in their hands or not. They can simply park it on any street. Tell him where it is, and it is his problem after that; he can find someone to take and store, or the city will haul it, and it is then gone, title or not. Unclaimed and unpaid for on city property it will soon go to auction. The storage yards just collect all the vin numbers, take them to a judge every month and they are assigned for unpaid and unclaimed.
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Without title there is nothing you can do. Without the BIL permission there is nothing you can do. You CAN abandon it in the parking lot and nature will take its course, but the question is, do you really want to do that? Would you not rather find vehicle storage in your city somewhere? It's a question. Only you can come up with the answer. You can give BIL a certain amount of time to arrange with someone, perhaps at the shelter, to take it for storage, but truth is, unwanted and unused vehicle will be destroyed by mice in no time.
My suggestion would be to either store yourself somewhere within the family OR tell BIL he will have a month to find shelter for it or you will park in the lot there. This will, of course, result in being hauled. Given storage fees by city the vehicle is then good as gone. Only you can decide for yourselves.
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I really doubt the homeless shelter will allow an uninsured, unregistered car in their parking lot. In my Township uninsured, unregistered cars are ticketed. If not removed in the designated time, registered and insured, they are towed and impounded. If not claimed, they go to auction.

Your BIL cannot afford this car. I would get a duplicate title and sell it.
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