Western Australia keeps private sales simple — no roadworthy certificate required for a standard sale — which puts more weight on the buyer's own checks. Here's the list for both sides. (WA officially calls registration a "vehicle licence"; everyone else calls it rego.)
Buyer checklist: before you inspect
- Run a free rego check on the Department of Transport website for licence status and expiry.
- Run a PPSR check for finance owing, stolen status and write-off history.
- Because WA has no compulsory inspection for a standard private sale, budget for a proper independent pre-purchase inspection — it's your only professional safety net.
At the inspection
- Inspect in daylight at the address on the papers.
- Match the VIN on the car to the papers, and the seller's licence to the registered owner.
- Check for a defect notice ("yellow sticker") — a defected vehicle must pass inspection before it can be relicensed, and that's the buyer's problem the moment money changes hands.
- Test drive it properly: highway speed, full-lock turns, hard stop.
Doing the deal (buyer)
- Pay by bank transfer or PayID; signed receipt with names, addresses, plate, VIN, price and date.
- Insure it before you drive it home.
- Lodge the transfer with the Department of Transport and pay the duty promptly — late transfer fees apply, so treat it as a same-week job (DoTDirect handles it online).
Seller checklist: getting ready
- Gather the licence papers, service books and receipts; payout letter if there's finance owing.
- Clean, photograph, and write an honest ad — including any known defects. WA buyers can't lean on a mandatory inspection, so disclosure builds the trust that closes the sale.
Meeting buyers and getting paid
- Meet at home or somewhere busy, with someone around.
- Sight the buyer's licence before a test drive and go with them.
- Hand over the car on cleared funds only.
- Receipt in duplicate.
After the sale (seller)
- Notify the Department of Transport of the sale within 7 days — WA puts a tight, explicit clock on the seller's notification. Do it online the same day and the new owner's fines, tolls and demerits can never land on you.
- Remove tags and linked accounts; wipe paired phones, saved addresses and garage remotes.
- Cancel or transfer your insurance.
WA's trade-off: no RWC hurdle, but a 7-day seller clock and a buyer who must do their own due diligence. Both sides should act fast after handover.