Free Nova Scotia General Bill of Sale
A general bill of sale in Nova Scotia is the document for everything the Registry of Motor Vehicles never sees: boat trailers, tools, outboard motors, lobster gear, instruments, equipment. Nothing records the transfer, so this contract is the transfer. Two things make a Nova Scotia version of it distinctive in practice — the province's Sale of Goods Act supplies implied conditions unless the contract excludes them, and a great deal of what changes hands here has been exposed to salt, which makes the condition disclosure the most consequential sentence in the document.
Free PDF includes a small watermark at the bottom. Go Pro to remove it. Already subscribed? Sign in.
Nova Scotia 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: Immediate family member transfers (spouse, child, parent, sibling) may qualify for an HST exemption with a sworn statutory declaration. Gifts between qualifying relatives also qualify.
Inspection Requirements
No inspection is required for general personal-property sales.
Nova Scotia General Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Identify the item precisely: make, model, year, serial number, condition, and included accessories.
- Disclose salt and marine exposure honestly — on gear, motors, and trailers it is the single biggest condition factor.
- Search the Nova Scotia Personal Property Registry on financed equipment: the lien follows the goods.
- State the price, payment method, and the date of delivery.
- Write the as-is, where-is clause explicitly — implied conditions apply unless clearly excluded.
- Confirm the seller owns the item free of encumbrance.
- Both parties sign; each keeps a copy.
Common Pitfalls
- Selling salt-exposed gear without saying so — the buyer finds the corrosion and the goodwill evaporates.
- Assuming "used" implies "as-is": the Sale of Goods Act supplies implied conditions unless the contract excludes them.
- Skipping a lien search on financed equipment.
- Describing an item without its serial number.
Pro Tip
In Nova Scotia the salt is the story. Identify the item by serial number, say honestly what the sea has done to it, exclude the implied conditions if it is sold as-is, and sign.