New Lien Check Service Protects Consumers

Many people take unnecessary financial risks when they buy a used vehicle or boat. Starting Thursday, July 1, a new online service called Lien Check will offer consumers a low cost way to protect their investment.

When someone loans money to purchase personal property -- such as a car -- the lender can register a lien on the property. This means that if the borrower does not repay the loan, the lender can take possession of the property. If someone purchased a car second-hand, one which had an outstanding lien, the purchaser could lose the car. It's also likely that the purchaser would then have to take the person who sold them the car to court to recover their money.

Lien Check is at www.servicens.ca/liencheck and any computer that is connected to the Internet can access the service. All searches and payments are processed in a secure online environment.

Consumers can also access Lien Check through public terminals at any Registry of Deeds or Access Centre in Nova Scotia. There is no fee to use the terminal but standard search fees will apply.

"A Lien Check search only costs $7 and takes just a few minutes on our website," said Gillian Shute, personal property registrar at Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

For an additional fee, consumers can use Lien Check to look for registrations in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. Prince Edward Island is expected to launch a similar service, accessible through Lien Check, soon. Each province sets its own search fee.

While vehicles will likely be the most frequent searches, Lien Check should be used before purchasing any of the following serial numbered property: on- and off-highway vehicles (but not bicycles), farm tractors and combines, boats and other water craft, trailers, mobile homes, aircraft and outboard motors.

Searches are conducted using the serial number of the property, such as the vehicle identification number (VIN) for a car, and the province where the seller resides.

"Lien Check is a response to consumer demand," said Ms. Shute. "We surveyed clients last year and 70 per cent of them said they wanted an online service that they could access where and when they wanted."

Lien Check is managed through Atlantic Canada On-Line (ACOL), a joint effort of the governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and UNISYS, a private sector technology developer.