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The following change was not publicized by the SAAQ, but it will no longer be possible to register a vehicle in co-ownership in Quebec. What exactly is it?
Norman
The new computer system of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) has not finished disappointing us.
Talk to Normand who owns a vehicle in joint ownership with his wife. When he wanted to register for the SAAQclic system, he did not see any vehicle in his name. This is how he discovered that it is no longer possible to register a vehicle in joint ownership, a decision taken to simplify the digital transition.
Motorists who own a vehicle for two find themselves in a cul de… SAAQ. The state corporation counts 130,000 vehicles registered in co-ownership not only by couples, but also by parents with their child, brothers and sisters, business partners, for example.
During the purchase, the co-owners must now identify a single registration holder who will also be the only one who can carry out transactions relating to the vehicle with the SAAQ, whether online or in person, as explained by a aide-mémoire prepared by the Crown corporation.
What happens to everyone who owned a shared vehicle before January 27, 2023?
They are not obliged to appoint a single holder for registration. Except that they will not be able to access online services, unless they go to a service point to designate a single person responsible for registration.
Normand fell from his chair when he learned that. “As we have been married for 51 years, we have the impression of going back in time, when a woman could not be co-owner of a house”, he is indignant.
The SAAQ defends itself by saying that the registration certificate is not a title deed.
“Only the sales contract constitutes proof of ownership, both for a new vehicle and for a used vehicle, whether the sale is made by an individual or by a merchant”, specifies the spokesperson, Anne Marie Dussault Turcotte. .
Agreed, but having a single person responsible for registration can still lead to serious slippages.
You should know that the sole registration holder will now be the only one to receive communications with the SAAQ. Worse: the sole holder may transfer the registration without having to prove the consent of the co-owner to the SAAQ.
In the event of a breakup, the spouse who is not registered in the file therefore risks finding themselves in trouble. “As the purchase of a vehicle is mainly a matter of men, without prejudice, it is still women who will bear the brunt of this absurd decision by the government”, worries Normand.
He is right.
Imagine the nightmare: after a separation, the spouse holding the registration can sell the vehicle and pocket the money, without the knowledge of his “ex”.
The SAAQ explains that the “ex” who was tricked can always bring a civil action before the courts, because the authorization of all the co-owners registered on the sales contract remains required when selling a vehicle, from a legal point of view, even if the SAAQ no longer checks.
In theory, all of this is true. But in practice, suing your “ex” in court is not easy. The process is long and complex. And there is no guarantee of getting your money back in the end, if the person is insolvent.
Prevention is better than cure. Especially since our justice system is completely bogged down. It’s better to have a safeguard at the SAAQ than to have to call the tow truck when the car is in the field.