There is always a special feeling with personal ownership of a car in Kenya. Therefore, if you plan to get a car for the first time, expect an excellent experience like never before. Even with that, you should ensure to take care of your car as you enjoy its provisions. The driving experience of a car you love is also the utmost feeling you should enjoy. However, do you get a car and start enjoying it? Definitely NO. As a car owner, you must verify documents as proof of ownership of the car. What paperwork goes with having a car? There is a wide range of documentation you need to have as proof of ownership for your car. Therefore, in this piece, we shall explore an in-depth view of the documents you should possess, their reasons, and how they can be crucial to you under different circumstances. After having an understanding of these documents, it is essential that you keep them safe and updated for the security and safety of your car. Therefore, let's explore each document as desired.
Driving license
A driving license is more related to you than your car – however, it is still an essential entity when you have a car. According to government institutional laws, you will need a driving license when having almost any vehicle.
A driving license is a crucial document verifying you as a certified driver. It is essential to understand that as you own a driving license, you are sure to renew it over time – probably every ten years. The validity of the driving license isn't eternal as you would expect and will be unusable once you hit a threshold of 70 years. After the age of 70 years, the driving license will get renewed after every three years. Consistent updates to your driving license are also essential; therefore, you should ensure that information within it is up to date.
Logbook
Another essential document you should hold dear for proof of ownership of your beloved car is the log book. The logbook is a necessary keeper of most car records – it includes the car's address under your request. Therefore, you will always have full ownership of the car when you possess the car fully – you need to have paid fully for the car. Otherwise, you won't fully own the document when your car is on finance. The finance company has the mandate of the log book since it partly belongs to it unless you have completely paid for the car. Just like the driving license, you will also ensure to keep consistent updates of the information within the logbook. Updates on the log occur in cases where you wish to sell the car or move to a new house, among other crucial circumstances. You, therefore, have to take good care of your log book because it's a vital entity for your car – loss of the document might pose extra charges to get another similar document.
Service book
You must have your car's service book when you own a car. As the name suggests, your car will undergo servicing when you have it in your possession. Continuous servicing ensures the stability of the car at all times. A service book on your side will help show areas or garages where the car has undergone services and its mileages before and after service. It might reach a point where you wish to sell your car. Potential buyers will often require to see the car's entire history, including its services. Therefore, a service book will always enable any potential buyer of your car to check whether the car meets the maker's servicing requirements since its introduction to the market. It is therefore essential to service your car regularly and ensure that you have a good and standard service book that can market your car as desired. However, car histories may be transiting into digital platforms with the growing technology. Therefore, digital media may be available so that car service books will be available digitally.
Vehicle Excise Duty
Another crucial document you will require when possessing a car is the vehicle excise duty. Even though it isn't strictly necessary, you must have one. Even with the digital transitions in car possessions, this document is essential when there's a need to handle anything related to your tax. Digital shifts in such documents ensure that information is easily handled but still plays the same role, just as the original vehicle excises duty. Keeping your car tax as you maintain the car tax histories along with the charges will significantly depend on this document.
Insurance certificate
Insuring your car is one of the best practices you should consider. However, in tragic encounters, you can easily guarantee your car and, therefore, the need to keep all the related documents intact.
For this reason, you need a proper insurance certificate to help you with your car insurance matters.
Auction sheet
The auction sheet is a crucial entity, especially when you have specific dealers for your car. Usually, most dealers sell foreign cars, so they must provide more information about the car, including whether the car has encountered accidents or not. The document is the auction sheet and will always help you or any other person understand the car properly; even when you will at one point desire to sell the car, the buyer may realize the car and its ability right from its auction sheet. The document, therefore, expresses the car's state without necessarily giving an oral explanation to the buyer.
Conclusion
There are more documents you need to possess as a car owner. However, the above documents are crucial and will always give you the right to ownership of the car. In addition, the papers will always help you in car identification and prove your car's capabilities even when there is a need to sell the car. SO, are you looking forward to become the latest car owner in Kenya? Gear yourself up wit the above documents as a starting point.
Also read: How to Check a Used Car Like an Expert