Buying From a Business, Trust, Estate or Lease

• Run an official PPSR vehicle search on ppsr.gov.au using the VIN, and match the VIN on the vehicle against the registration papers and the PPSR result.
• Get an independent pre-purchase inspection for anything beyond a basic once-over.
• Pay by traceable bank transfer only, into an account in the seller's name - for a business, the business's own name.

• Check the business is active: search the Australian Business Register (ABR) for ABN status, and if it's a company, search ASIC's registers to confirm it isn't deregistered or in external administration.
• Confirm whoever signs the sale documents actually has authority to sell on the business's behalf (a director, or someone with documented authority).
• Check for business-wide security interests. A standard PPSR vehicle search only shows finance registered against the car itself. A company can also have a general security interest (often called an AllPAAP: "all present and after-acquired property") registered against the business, which can cover its vehicles without showing up on a VIN search. A PPSR search against the company's ACN will show these. If one appears, a lender will usually want a release or "no interest" letter from that financier before settling, so ask the seller to arrange it early to avoid delays.
• If the seller is registered for GST, ask for a proper tax invoice, not just a handwritten receipt.

• A trust can't sell anything itself - the seller is the trustee (often a company). Check the trustee's name matches the registration papers and the invoice.
• If the trustee is a company, the same ABN/ACN and PPSR checks above apply, including the search against the company's ACN.
• Your lender may ask to see evidence the trustee can sell, such as the relevant part of the trust deed, so ask the seller for it early.

• The executor or administrator sells on behalf of the estate, so the name on the registration papers won't match the person selling - that's expected.
• Ask for a copy of the grant of probate or letters of administration, and check the executor's ID matches the name on it. Your lender may ask for these too.
• Run the PPSR search as normal - any finance the owner had may still be registered against the car and needs to be paid out at settlement.

• The finance company (lessor) owns the vehicle until the lease, including any residual, is paid out. The driver can't sell it outright.
• The payout process varies by finance company, so ask the seller for a written payout quote from the lessor before you agree on a price.
• At settlement, the payout goes to the lessor, who then releases the vehicle. Never pay the driver directly for a vehicle the lessor still owns.

• An invoice (a tax invoice if the seller is GST-registered) showing the seller's details, the VIN and the price.
• The seller's ABN/ACN, and PPSR results against both the VIN and - for a company seller - the ACN.
• Any release or "no interest" letter needed for a business-wide security interest, and a written payout letter for any finance owing on the car.
• For a trust or deceased estate, the documents showing who can sell.

• Interactive checklist & stamp duty estimator
• Buying or selling a car interstate
• When the seller still owes finance
• Buying equipment, plant or a work vehicle privately
• Selling equipment privately
• Selling your car privately

State & territory guides

• Buying privately in New South Wales
• Buying privately in Victoria
• Buying privately in Queensland
• Buying privately in South Australia
• Buying privately in Western Australia
• Buying privately in Tasmania
• Buying privately in the Australian Capital Territory
• Buying privately in the Northern Territory