Free Ontario General Bill of Sale
A general bill of sale in Ontario is the contract you use when the thing being sold has no title and no registry — a table saw, a tractor implement, a piano, a set of tools, a snowblower, a laptop. Because nothing official records the transfer, this document IS the transfer: it is the buyer's proof of ownership and the seller's proof of release. Ontario's Sale of Goods Act supplies default terms in the background, but they can be varied by what you write — which means the words on the page decide who carries the risk when the thing turns out to be broken, encumbered, or not what was described.
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Ontario 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 to or inherited from immediate family members may qualify for a tax exemption with a sworn Family Gift Affidavit filed at ServiceOntario.
Inspection Requirements
No inspection is required for general personal-property sales.
Ontario General Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Describe the item so specifically that it could not be confused with another: make, model, year, serial number, colour, dimensions, distinguishing marks, and condition.
- State the price and how it was paid — cash, e-transfer, cheque — and the date possession changed.
- Set the warranty position explicitly: "sold as-is, where-is, with all faults" if that is the deal, or state exactly what you are representing.
- For business equipment or machinery, run a PPSA search: a lien registered against the goods survives the sale and follows the item to the buyer.
- Confirm the seller owns the item outright and has the right to sell it — say so in the document.
- Both parties sign and date; each keeps a copy. No government office holds this record for you.
- Selling something valuable? Add serial-number photographs to the file alongside the signed document.
Common Pitfalls
- Vague description: "one tractor" identifies nothing. Without the serial number, the document cannot prove which object it refers to.
- Skipping the PPSA search on used equipment: a secured lender's registered interest can be enforced against the item in the buyer's hands.
- Assuming "as-is" is implied — Ontario's Sale of Goods Act supplies implied conditions unless the contract clearly excludes them.
- Relying on an e-transfer record as proof of ownership: it proves payment, not what was bought or from whom.
Pro Tip
In Ontario nothing official records the sale of a tool, a machine, or a piano — so the bill of sale is the whole record. Identify the item precisely, state the as-is terms, search the PPSA on anything financed, and sign.