Proving what you own when sale records are incomplete
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A missing invoice does not tell you who owns an asset. Neither does possession alone. Gather the available records, match them to the equipment and ask the appropriate owner, lender or adviser to resolve the gaps before offering it for sale.
The purpose of the exercise is to build a traceable evidence pack. It is not to assemble enough paperwork to justify the answer you would prefer.
Start with the item you can identify
Record the manufacturer's details and any accessible serial number, then give the asset a temporary sale reference. Photograph the identifying information. If two apparently identical machines sit together, keep their records separate until you can match them reliably.
Use the asset numbering guide to connect photographs and documents. A vague description such as old compressor is difficult to reconcile with an agreement that lists a model and serial number.
Search the business's authorised records for purchase orders, supplier invoices, bank payments, delivery notes, finance schedules and correspondence. Ask the accountant or records owner where older documents are held. Do not search personal accounts or unrelated files without the relevant permission.
Keep an evidence gap log
| Field | Example of the kind of entry to make |
|---|---|
| Asset reference | Your stable sale reference and observed identity |
| Record found | Invoice, agreement, schedule, delivery note or correspondence |
| Record date and custodian | When it was created and where the original is held |
| Match to asset | Exact serial match, partial match or no reliable match yet |
| What it supports | Acquisition, delivery, payment or a claimed interest |
| What it does not settle | Later finance, ownership transfer, disputed scope or missing schedule |
| Next enquiry | Named provider, supplier, owner or adviser |
| Outcome | Written response and decision about the sale scope |
Describe a partial match honestly. An invoice for one machine of the same make may be worth following up, but it should not silently become proof for another item.
Look for later events
Even a clear purchase record may not be the end of the story. Check whether equipment was later included in financing, a business transfer, a rental arrangement or a customer agreement. The finance and ownership guide explains how to organise that enquiry without assuming a contract's meaning.
RICS's plant and equipment guidance recognises the relevance of third-party interests and finance arrangements to valuation instructions. Give the valuer the uncertainty rather than allowing an unexplained assumption of unrestricted ownership.
An ownership gap and a specification gap are also different. The valuer's asset-list template can hold the technical information while the ownership investigation continues. A well-identified machine still may not be ready to offer for sale.
Make uncertainty visible to everyone preparing the sale
Put unresolved items on the exclusion or hold register. Explain the status to the person taking photographs and the person approving the catalogue. Otherwise an attractive image can reach the sale manager without the important note that accompanies it.
Keep written responses with the asset reference. If the final answer concerns only one item in a larger package, do not apply it to the rest by assumption.
Send UK Auction Group the confirmed assets and the separate questions. A candid list allows an initial sale discussion without pretending that every ownership issue has already been resolved. Obtain professional advice where the evidence remains disputed or incomplete.
Explore the selling assets 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.