Understanding the UVIP - Lien Information and the Bill of Sale
Jan
20
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
The UVIP’s final two sections are critical: they indicate whether a lender could repossess your newly bought car. They lay out the final details to transfer the seller’s car into your possession. The UVIP’s fourth section shows whether the car you want to buy has a lien on it. If a car has a lien, it means the car’s owner has not paid the lender what he owes for the vehicle.
What does this mean for you? If the lienholder still has an interest in the vehicle, they could repossess it.
The fifth section holds the bill of sale which you and the seller sign before taking it to Service Ontario. They will register the car in your name.
Remember: if you buy a car privately,
the seller must provide you with the UVIP. It is your responsibility to check for inaccuracies.
What should I check for in section 4?
First, look for this sentence: "0 liens registered against this vehicle." If there are liens against the vehicle, take these steps to ensure the owner removes the lien before you purchase the car:
- request the seller pays off the money owed and removes the lien before you buy the car, or
- get proof in writing from the lender that the car's owner paid off the money owed and
the lender removed the lien.
If the lien stays on your purchase, the lender could repossess the vehicle.
What are liens?
Financial institutions lending money to consumers for vehicle purchases need a backup plan if the consumer can’t pay the loan back. So, the lender will register a lien on the vehicle, meaning they can take possession of the vehicle if the consumer does not pay the lender what they owe.
The lien is registered on a vehicle until the lender is paid in full.
What will I find in section 5?
Section 5 contains the bill of sale. This is where the seller will write the vehicle’s sales price, the buyer’s name, the seller’s name and the transaction date.
What should I check in section 5?
Ensure the seller’s price on the bill of sale is the agreed price. While Section 1 also lists the retail price, it’s only the suggested price from Canadian Black Book, a reference guide for new and used car prices.
Sellers do not need to use the bill of sale on the last page of the UVIP; they can create their own so long as it contains the same information on the UVIP’s bill of sale.Be sure both your signature and the seller's signature are on the bill of sale and the date is accurate to make the sale valid. Once you and the seller sign, the document, take it to Service Ontario and hand it in within six days.
Next steps
Buying a car privately comes with no protections, but with these tools you will minimize a lot of risk. If you still have questions, OMVIC has you covered. You can review our old posts on Understanding the UVIP here. For tips on buying a car privately, watch our OMVIC Academy video Buying from a Private Seller. If you have a car-buying question before or after you purchase a vehicle, contact OMVIC’s Consumer Support Services.
About OMVIC
As the regulator of motor vehicle sales in Ontario, OMVIC’s mandate is to maintain a fair and informed marketplace by protecting the rights of consumers, enhancing industry professionalism and ensuring fair, honest and open competition for registered motor vehicle dealers. Visit omvic.ca to learn more about your car-buying rights as well as additional tips for buying a car in Ontario.
For car buying tips, check out the OMVIC Academy. You can view other resources such as multilingual videos and download the OMVIC Car-buying Guide
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