What Information Can be Had from a PPSR Certificate

What is the PPSR (Personal Property Security Registration) system and when is it important to get a PPSR Certificate?

The PPSR is the Australian Government’s official register of a security interest in personal property that primarily includes debts and other obligations like lien. This online register and noticeboard can be accessed 24x7 by the general public and if necessary, a PPSR Certificate related to a specific property can be obtained.

The PPSR was launched on 30^th Jan 2012 and replaced many state-based registers like the REVS and other vehicle registers as well as the ASIC Register of Company Charges, and others. All these were combined to form one single national register.

What happens when you register an interest on the PPSR? You are informing everybody about your claim on a specific personal property and that you have a security interest in it. This will be reflected in the PPSR Certificate if anybody chooses to get one. Personal property for a PPSR Certificate includes cars, company assets, boats, cars, used goods, and intellectual property.

Why should you obtain a PPSR Certificate? You can know before buying or lending money against the personal property whether anybody has registered a security interest over it. This scheme is so popular that every year in Australia, millions of searches take place and PPSR Certificates are obtained.

Getting PPSR Certificate can also protect you when investing in personal property. You can obtain insights on whether the valuable goods or property you want to buy are free from debt and do not have a lien on them. If there is no debt or encumbrances, you can invest safely in the property without fear of repossession later.

On the other hand, if you have any personal property, you should register it on the PPSR, more so when you are selling on retention of title terms or consignment and even when you are hiring or leasing out goods. This will protect you if your customer goes bankrupt as you can then establish your rights over the property through a PPSR Certificate.

The Registrar of Personal Properties Securities, who is appointed by the Attorney General’s Department, manages and controls the functioning of the PPSR. The registrar’s office is housed in the Commonwealth government department and is known as the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA). AFSA is an executive agency in the portfolio of the Attorney General who is also responsible for the PPS Act.

It is the responsibility of the Registrar to optimally manage the PPSR and ensure that not only is a PPSR Certificate readily available but also the information contained in it can be depended upon. The Registrar decides what can be registered on the PPSR and when the PPSR would be available. These powers can be delegated to others at the discretion of the Registrar. The routine work of the PPSR is supported by the AFSA Service Center.