Selling equipment when the usual decision-maker is unavailable
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If the person who normally authorises an equipment sale is unavailable, establish who can act before issuing new sale instructions. Being the nearest relative, longest-serving employee or person holding the keys does not by itself settle that question.
The reason for the absence matters. A planned holiday, illness, death or departure from the business can require very different arrangements. Obtain professional advice where authority is unclear; this guide does not determine company, capacity or estate law.
Prepare a continuity sheet
| Section | Record |
|---|---|
| Current contact | Who can gather information and receive enquiries now |
| Existing authority | Documents or instructions already in place, with their scope |
| Sale stage | Inventory only, valuation, marketing, accepted offers or collection underway |
| Existing commitments | Agreements, buyer messages, deposits and booked appointments |
| Authority question | Exactly which decision cannot currently be made |
| Adviser contact | Who is checking the authority and when an answer is expected |
| Hold list | Decisions that await confirmation |
| Site arrangements | Access contact and any urgent asset-protection issue |
The current contact and authorised decision-maker may be different people. Label those roles plainly so the sale manager does not mistake an administrative reply for approval.
Continue only the preparation that fits the instruction
Collecting existing invoices or matching photographs to asset IDs may be useful while the authority question is resolved. Agree the scope of that work with the responsible parties. Do not extend an old instruction beyond its documented limits because a buyer is pressing for an answer.
Use the internal-approval guide to distinguish evidence preparation from sale approval. Where ownership records are incomplete, the ownership-evidence guide helps identify documents to find without inventing a conclusion.
If an offer arrives, record its amount, conditions and expiry. Tell the sale manager that the decision is pending confirmation of authority. Avoid promising that a named person will approve it unless they have actually done so.
Preserve a clear handover
Once authority is established, give the confirmed decision-maker the current facts and open decisions. Use the asset-sale handover so they can see what changed during the absence. Keep prior instructions and the new confirmation together rather than replacing the old record without explanation.
Where several professionals are involved, use the role-allocation guide to show who answers authority, tax, valuation and site questions. Nobody should need to guess which adviser owns a particular decision.
UK Auction Group can discuss practical preparation and the information needed for an authorised sale. Explain the current limits at the start and identify the person who will provide confirmed instructions when the authority question is resolved.
Explore the retirement and closure guides.
Sources
This guide gives general information. Equipment-specific, legal, tax and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser or competent specialist. The guides do not promise sale prices, fees or results.