PPSR Checks for Machinery and Vehicles: Why and How
If you buy a machine that still has finance owing on it, the lender may be able to repossess it from you, even though you paid the seller in full. A PPSR search is the simplest way to protect yourself.
What is the PPSR?
The Personal Property Securities Register is the Australian Government's national register of security interests in personal property. Lenders and finance companies register their interest in vehicles, machinery and equipment they have financed.
What a search tells you
- Whether any security interest is registered against the item.
- For motor vehicles searched by VIN, whether the vehicle is recorded as stolen or written off.
How to search
- Get the VIN, chassis number or serial number from the seller, and check it against the plate on the machine yourself.
- Search on the official PPSR website, ppsr.gov.au. There is a small fee per search.
- Keep the search certificate. Do the search close to the day you pay, as things can change.
If something shows up
Do not pay until it is resolved. Ask the seller to have the lender remove the registration, or to give you written confirmation from the lender that the debt will be cleared from the sale proceeds. If the seller will not help, walk away.
When a search is not possible
Some farm equipment has no serial number that can be searched. In that case, ask the seller in writing to confirm the item is theirs to sell and free of any finance, and keep the listing, messages and invoice.
For the full buying process, read our checklist for buying used machinery online.