PPSR check WA: $2 government certificate included, from $12.95

Whatever the state, the certificate answers the same questions. Is there a registered security interest over the VIN, and who holds it? Is the vehicle recorded as stolen? Has it been declared a write-off, and was that statutory or repairable? It also prints the licence plate, expiry, make, model and colour held against the VIN.

For a Western Australian car, two of those lines deserve particular care. Stolen status is fed by police forces nationally and WA data is included. The write-off line shows the recording state, which matters because many vehicles for sale in WA were written off and repaired in the east before crossing the Nullarbor.

The $2.00 search at ppsr.gov.au is open to anyone with the full VIN, and the certificate is identical to the one in our reports. The wa.gov.au licence check page itself points buyers to the PPSR for encumbrances. The difficulty is getting the VIN: the free check now shows it partly masked, so you need the seller or a plate lookup.

Our $12.95 certificate includes that lookup, the certificate unaltered, a verdict in one line and a free re-run if a character was wrong. The $27.95 report adds decoded write-off codes, recall matches, build data for 2021-onward cars and a free 14-day finance re-check. Receipts show the $2.00 search fee as its own line.

Western Australia records both statutory and repairable write-offs on the national register. A statutory write-off cannot be licensed again. A repairable write-off can be repaired and must pass an inspection before the Department of Transport will license it. The inspection checks that the vehicle is what it claims to be and meets the standards for the road; it does not rate the repair.

The PPSR entry remains for the life of the vehicle. So "licensed and inspected" and "clean" are different things on a WA certificate, and the price should reflect it.

Private buyers in Perth and the regions search by hand from listings. Licensed dealers must sell cars free of encumbrances and search their stock before sale. Lenders search before approving finance and register their interest afterwards; those registrations are most of what the finance side of the register contains. Auction houses attach certificates to lots so bidders can see the status.

Insurers and assessors notify write-offs in WA, and that information reaches the certificate through the national data. They supply records; they do not usually search.

1. Enter the WA plate and select WA, or enter the VIN from the licence papers.
2. Confirm the make, model and year we return. Nothing is charged until you do.
3. Select the $12.95 certificate or the $27.95 report and pay.
4. Read the verdict page. The certificate PDF follows by email, normally within two minutes.

• The amount owing to the secured party. Only a payout letter shows that.
• How many owners the car has had. No WA report lists this to the public.
• The quality of repairs after a WA write-off inspection.
• Service history, mechanical condition or odometer accuracy.