Private Sale Agreement and Receipt in Australia: Boats, Caravans, Trailers and Horses

A private sale agreement is a short written record, signed by the seller and the buyer, of what is being sold, for how much, how it is paid, its condition and when it changes hands. The receipt is the seller’s signed note that the money was received. For a boat, caravan, trailer, horse or equipment, the two together are your proof of the deal if anything goes wrong later.

Claim Done drafts a Private Sale Agreement and Sale Receipt from your answers for a flat A$49. You check the draft, then the seller and the buyer sign it.

When this kind of agreement fits

It is for a one-off private sale between people, where the seller is not running a business. Typical items are:

• a boat or jet ski, with or without its trailer and outboard motor
• a caravan, camper trailer, horse float or other trailer
• a horse
• equipment, tools or machinery.

It is not for cars, utes, vans, motorbikes or motorhomes. Claim Done has a separate private car sale agreement for those. It is also not for a sale by a dealer, or for other animals or firearms.

What a private sale agreement and receipt should record

VicRoads gives a useful checklist for a boat sale. It says to write a receipt so you both have proof of purchase, including the date and time of sale, each person’s name, address and signature, and the vessel’s HIN, engine numbers, make and model. A complete agreement records:

1. The date, and the full names of the seller and the buyer.
2. The item: make, model, year, size or colour, and everything included (motor, trailer, saddle, tools, accessories).
3. Every identifying number: a boat’s HIN, an outboard’s serial number, a trailer or caravan’s VIN or chassis number, a horse’s microchip number and breed registration, or a machine’s serial number.
4. Any registration number and the State it is registered in.
5. The price, any deposit, and how and when the balance is paid.
6. The handover date and place.
7. Whether any money is owing on the item, and any PPSR search certificate number and date.
8. That the item is sold as is, and the defects or (for a horse) health or behaviour issues the seller has disclosed.
9. Any inspection, water test, trial ride or vet check the buyer has done.

Sold “as is”: what consumer guarantees still apply

The ACCC says most consumer guarantees don’t apply to one-off sales between two people where the seller is not running a business. So the usual guarantee of acceptable quality, meaning safe, durable and free from defects, generally does not cover a private sale.

Three guarantees do still apply to private sales, according to the ACCC:

• title to the product (the seller has the right to sell it)
• undisturbed possession
• no hidden debts or charges.

That is why “as is” wording and a written list of known defects matter: both sides have a record of what was disclosed. The last guarantee is the reason to check for money owing before paying.

Check for money owing: the PPSR

The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) shows whether someone, such as a lender, has registered a security interest over goods. The PPSR says that if you buy a boat with money owing and the seller stops making repayments, the lender may be able to repossess the boat from you. A search costs $2.00 online or $7.00 by phone, as at November 2026.

What you search by depends on the item:

The PPSR lists machinery and equipment, livestock and outboard motors as common examples of non-serial-numbered goods, checked by a grantor search on the seller’s name and date of birth. Some machinery, such as an excavator, may count as a motor vehicle. If you are unsure, the PPSR suggests searching both ways.

To search against a person, you need an authorised purpose. The PPSR says having the person’s consent is a valid reason, and searching without one can attract serious penalties. Ask the seller for consent and check their name and date of birth against their ID.

A few more PPSR points worth knowing:

• Search immediately before you pay.
• A certificate the seller hands you can be checked for free, but its results are not updated. A fresh search is cheap.
• It will not tell you if a boat is stolen or badly damaged. Check its registration with your State maritime authority.
• Save the search certificate. It is your legal record of the search.

Transferring registration

Boats, trailers and caravans are often registered. If they are, the registration has to move to the buyer, and the rules are set by each State. Here is what three official State pages say:

Sources: NSW Government and Queensland Government. For trailers and caravans in NSW and Victoria, and for anything registered in another State or Territory, check with the transport or maritime authority there.

The structure of the document

A clear agreement follows this order:

• Date and parties: the seller and the buyer, by full name.
• Background: a private sale, not in the course of a business.
• The item: a table of the description and each serial, HIN, VIN, microchip or registration number.
• Price and payment: the price, deposit, balance, and handover once paid in full in cleared funds.
• Money owing and PPSR: whether anything is owing, and any search certificate.
• Condition and known defects: as is, the disclosed defects, any check done, and the private sale consumer guarantee position.
• Registration and transfer: each side does what the registration authority requires.
• General: whole agreement, changes in writing, governing State law, signatures.

The sale receipt is a single page, signed by the seller, listing each payment with its date, method and amount, and a total equal to the price.

Payment, handover and keeping copies

Agree the payment method in writing, record any deposit and the balance, and hand over the item only once the full price has cleared.

At handover, both sides sign the agreement and the seller signs the receipt. The seller hands over the keys, registration papers and anything listed as included. NSW tells sellers to keep copies of all sale documents and to see the buyer’s proof of identity. VicRoads tells both sides to keep a copy of the receipt as proof of the change of ownership, even for an unregistered boat. Keep the PPSR certificate with them.

Mistakes to avoid

• Paying before searching the PPSR, or relying on an old certificate.
• Searching only the boat and forgetting the trailer and outboard motor.
• Writing “as is” but leaving known defects off the page.
• Leaving serial numbers blank, so the paperwork cannot be matched to the item.
• Missing the State’s registration transfer deadline.
• Handing over the item before the money has cleared.

If you are buying or selling privately, put it in writing on the day. Start your Private Sale Agreement and Receipt for a flat A$49, check the draft, and sign it at handover.