Free British Columbia General Bill of Sale
A general bill of sale in British Columbia covers everything the vehicle system does not: tools, equipment, boats without registration, instruments, machinery, livestock trailers, furniture. There is no registry recording the transfer, so the document is the transfer. Two BC-specific habits make it stronger: a Personal Property Registry search before buying anything that might have been financed, and a written as-is clause that actually engages the Sale of Goods Act's allowance for excluding implied conditions — because without it, implied terms about fitness and quality apply by default.
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British Columbia General Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Tax Details
GST/HST may apply if the seller is a GST-registered business. Private individual-to-individual sales of used personal property are typically exempt.
Exemption: Vehicles gifted between certain family members may qualify for a PST exemption. The federal Luxury Tax (10% on the amount exceeding $100,000 for passenger vehicles) applies separately from BC PST.
Inspection Requirements
No inspection is required for general personal-property sales.
British Columbia General Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Identify the item exactly: make, model, year, serial number, condition, distinguishing features.
- Run a BC Personal Property Registry search on anything that may carry a lien — financed equipment, machinery, trailers — because a registered interest survives the sale.
- State the price, the payment method, and the date possession transferred.
- Write an explicit as-is clause if that is the deal: implied conditions apply unless clearly excluded.
- Confirm in the document that the seller owns the item free of encumbrance and has the right to sell it.
- Photograph the item and its serial number, and keep the images with the signed document.
- Both parties sign; each keeps a copy — nothing official records this transaction.
Common Pitfalls
- Buying used equipment without a PPR search: the lender's registered security interest can be enforced against the goods after you have paid for them.
- Assuming "used means as-is": implied conditions about quality and fitness apply unless the contract excludes them clearly.
- Describing the item loosely — without a serial number the document cannot identify what was sold.
- Treating an e-transfer as the record: it proves payment, not ownership.
Pro Tip
In BC the bill of sale is the only record and the PPR search is the only safety net. Use both: identify the item by serial number, exclude the implied terms if the deal is as-is, and sign.