Information for our waterway users

Like the legal requirement to inform DVLA when you transfer a vehicle to a new owner, if you sell your boat, it is your legal responsibility to notify us of the change of ownership in writing.

Use this link to complete the change of ownership form. You must complete the form and provide the new owner’s name and address.

Make sure you are aware of our refund policy (use this link to read the refund policy).

Until you notify us of a change of ownership, you are deemed to remain the registered owner of the boat and are liable for registration, including payment of the full registration charge.

Did you know that if there is a serious incident such as a fire or explosion aboard your boat, you are required by law to report it to us? You need to do this within 24 hours if you can, but otherwise as soon as possible. Please make sure you include as much information as possible, including the location, date and time of the incident, as well as details of any damage and / or injury and what you believe happened. As the Navigation Authority, we are responsible to investigate all boat-related incidents – in most cases, working with the emergency services to try to establish the most likely cause. We report all our findings to the Boat Safety Scheme, which identifies any trends and lessons to inform work that might prevent reoccurrence. This might be through safety campaigns, manufacturer recall or new safety standards.

You should always call our 24-hour emergency number 0800 80 70 60, but please provide full details to the relevant area waterways team (see our contact us section).

We want everyone to enjoy their time on our waterways. We ask you to follow these simple points to make life happier for everyone. 

• Renew your registration and display your registration certificate where it can be seen by our officers at all times.
• Make sure your boat’s registered name is correctly marked on bow and stern – this must be exactly as it is printed on your certificate including any number that is part of the name (for example “SWAN 5”)
• When out on the water, look behind you often and slow down if you need to. Wash breaking on the bank is not acceptable or necessary. We are often amazed by boaters who don’t think speed and wash rules apply to them. The use of jet skis, lift foils / e-foils and hovercraft is not appropriate on any of our waterways in the interests of safety and speed limits.   
• Keep a constant look-out. If you are in charge of a boat, it is your responsibility not to hit anyone or anything (even if you think they should move out of your way). There are more small boats, paddle boards and swimmers on our waterways than ever before. 
• Learn what navigation buoys and signage mean and follow their direction. If you don’t, you risk getting stuck and potentially damaging your boat, or worse.

All boat owners are responsible for making sure their boat complies with our construction and equipment standards at all times when a boat is kept or used on the waterway. Boat Safety Scheme Certifications (BSSC) are valid for a maximum of four years from the date of issue. 

Please remember to renew your BSSC if it expires during the registration year. To help, we include the expiry date on your registration renewal letter. We will also send you a reminder by email before the expiry date. Plan ahead, examiners can be booked up so it can take a while to get an inspection.

There has been a huge growth in paddlesports over the last few years and we have seen this increase on our waterways. So, we have been supporting an initiative from Paddle UK, the National Governing Body for paddlesport. 

Use this link to read the Paddlers’ Code they have produced to share guidance on how to enjoy the beautiful waterways responsibly. The Code has been developed with Natural England and is the first official supplementary code to the Countryside Code. 

We hope it will help all newcomers to our waterways get the most out of their experience and enjoy themselves, whilst reducing their impact on the environment and other river users.