A serial-number search looks up the PPSR by the unique identifier of a piece of property rather than by its owner. The most common identifier is a vehicle VIN, but chassis numbers, aircraft serials, and certain watercraft hull numbers also work.
What it returns
If a security interest has been registered against the asset, the search returns the secured party, the registration date, the description, and any expiry. If clear, you get a certificate confirming no registrations.
Why it matters
Equipment dealers use it to confirm a trade-in is unencumbered. Asset finance brokers use it to confirm the specific asset being financed isn't double-encumbered. Auctioneers use it for lot-level clearance before sale.
Org-only scope
Serial-number searches sit inside Hoist Assets' org-only scope. Whether a B2G Account Customer may run them as a relay on behalf of identifiable end users (the customer-trigger model) is the question Hoist Assets has put to AFSA under PPSR General Conditions §1.8 written-approval pathway. See org-only scope (disambiguation).
Related terms
- PPSR — The Australian national register where security interests in personal property are recorded.
- NPII — Disambiguation: AFSA's National Personal Insolvency Index (bankruptcy register), distinct from Hoist Assets's deprecated internal 'NPII' shorthand for org-only PPSR searches (now renamed to 'org-only').
How Hoist Assets uses this
Search the Serial-number search via the Hoist Assets API or MCP server. See /docs for endpoints.