Personal Property Registry · Surrey, BC
Vehicle Lien Search, Registration & ICBC Damage Reports in Surrey, BC
Buying a used vehicle? Before you pay, we run the BC lien search and pull the official ICBC damage report by VIN. Owed money on a vehicle, or unpaid for repair work? We register your lien in the Personal Property Registry so your claim is on record and your priority is better protected.
Buying a vehicle?
We search the Personal Property Registry for liens and pull the ICBC damage history, so you know exactly what you’re buying before you buy and pay.
Owed money on one?
We register liens in the Personal Property Registry — for private lenders, sellers who financed a sale, and repair shops with an unpaid bill.
What we need from you
For a lien search or damage report
- VIN
- Make, model, and year (to confirm the match)
For lien registration
- Claimant’s full legal name and address (you or your business)
- Debtor’s full legal name and address (a person or a business)
- VIN
- Make and model (year optional)
Most lien searches and ICBC reports are ready in about 30 minutes during office hours — lien registrations within about an hour.
Why use Prime Insurance for this?
Prime Insurance is a family-owned brokerage based in Fleetwood, Surrey, serving B.C. drivers since 1994. We check the vehicle or register your lien, then a licensed advisor walks you through the result and what it means — in English, Punjabi, or Hindi. We also serve nearby Delta, Langley, and White Rock.
- Family-owned in Surrey since 1994
- Open seven days a week
- A licensed advisor reviews every result with you
- Service in English, Punjabi & Hindi
Before You Buy
Two hidden risks when you buy a used car in BC
When you buy privately, the seller’s word is not a guarantee. Two things in particular can cost a buyer thousands — and both are checkable before money changes hands.
A lien that follows the vehicle. A lien is a registered legal claim against the vehicle as security for someone’s debt. If you buy a car with an undischarged lien and the previous owner stops paying, the lender may be able to enforce its claim against the vehicle — even though you are now the owner. Transferring ownership does not automatically erase a registered lien.
Damage you can’t see. A repaired vehicle can look showroom-clean and still have a serious collision, theft, or salvage history behind it. That history affects its value, its safety, and sometimes whether it can be insured at all.
What a BC lien search and ICBC report show
BC Personal Property Registry
A search of B.C.’s Personal Property Registry — the province’s official register of financial claims against vehicles and other property — by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to find any registered claim against the vehicle.
If a lien is on file, the result shows:
- the secured party (the lender) — name and address
- the debtor — name and address
- the registration date and expiry date of the lien
ICBC Vehicle Claims History Report
An official ICBC report, pulled by VIN, that sets out the vehicle’s damage-claim record in British Columbia.
The report can show:
- whether the vehicle has been part of an ICBC claim
- the type of claim (collision, vandalism, glass, theft)
- the date of the damage and the amount paid or estimated
- the primary area of damage, where recorded
Used-car buyer checklist for BC
- Get the VIN from the seller and confirm it on the vehicle.
- Run a BC Personal Property Registry lien search.
- Pull the ICBC Vehicle Claims History Report.
- If the vehicle has lived out of province, add a cross-Canada history report.
- Check the registry status — normal, rebuilt, salvage, altered, or non-repairable.
- Match the VIN across the windshield, the driver’s door jamb, and the registration.
New to the process? Our buying a car guide covers the rest of the steps.
What these searches do — and don’t — tell you
Both checks are valuable, and both have limits worth understanding so you read the results correctly.
The lien search
- Covers claims registered in British Columbia. A vehicle that lived in another province may carry a lien registered elsewhere.
- Shows that a lien exists and who holds it — the registry does not disclose the dollar amount owing.
- A clear result reads, in effect, “no registered liens or encumbrances on file.”
The ICBC report
- Reflects ICBC’s files only. Repairs paid by another insurer, or damage never claimed, will not appear.
- A search fee applies whether or not any claims are found.
- Where available, it may also show the vehicle’s registry status — such as normal, rebuilt, salvage, altered, or non-repairable.
Buying a vehicle that has lived outside the province, or want claims history from across the country? We can point you to a North-America-wide vehicle history report (such as CARFAX Canada, formerly CarProof) and help you weigh it against the ICBC report.
Protect What You’re Owed
Registering a lien on a vehicle in BC
The Personal Property Registry isn’t only for checking — it’s where you put your claim on record. If someone owes you money against a vehicle, registering a lien gives public notice of your claim and helps protect your priority over later claims. We prepare and file it for you, correctly the first time.
You financed a sale or lent money
Sold a vehicle on terms, or lent money with a vehicle as security? Registering your interest in the Personal Property Registry puts your claim on record, helps protect your priority over later claims, and means a future buyer or lender can see that you’re owed.
You choose how long the registration runs — from one year up to 25 years, or indefinitely — and we can amend, renew, or discharge it later.
You did the repair work and weren’t paid
Under British Columbia’s Commercial Liens Act — in force since June 30, 2025 — certain repair, storage, and transport service providers may hold a commercial lien for an unpaid bill. The key change: where the Act applies and the lien is registered properly, you no longer have to keep the vehicle to keep your lien.
Register it in the Personal Property Registry and you can hand the vehicle back to the customer while your right to payment stays on record. You choose how long the registration runs — from one year up to 25 years, or indefinitely.
How registration works
Tell us the details
The vehicle (VIN, make, and model) and the full legal name and address of the claimant and the debtor — each can be a person or a business.
We register it in the PPR
Filed with the correct names, vehicle description, and registration term, so it stands up if you ever need to enforce it.
Your claim is on record
It’s searchable by anyone checking the vehicle, your priority is better protected, and we handle any later amendment, renewal, or discharge.
The Commercial Lien replaces what used to be filed as a Repairers Lien — the Commercial Liens Act replaced the Repairers Lien Act and several other lien statutes in 2025. Liens registered under the old rules remain valid and can be renewed, amended, or discharged under the new framework. We can help with those too.
Dealers register most of these. This pairs with our auto-dealer services and on-site Autoplan & plate transfers.
Common questions
Can you register a lien, or only search for one?
Both. We search the Personal Property Registry to check a vehicle before you buy, and we register liens for people who are owed money — private lenders, sellers who financed a sale, and repair shops with an unpaid bill.
I repaired a vehicle and the customer didn’t pay — can I lien it if I already gave the car back?
Often, yes. Under BC’s Commercial Liens Act, a repairer generally no longer needs to keep possession of the vehicle to hold a lien, provided the Act applies and the lien is registered properly. We can register your commercial lien in the Personal Property Registry so you can return the vehicle while your right to payment stays on record. Bring us the vehicle details and the customer’s information and we’ll handle the registration.
What’s the difference between a lien search and a damage history report?
A lien search is about money owed — whether someone has a registered financial claim against the vehicle. The ICBC Vehicle Claims History Report is about condition — whether the vehicle has a recorded damage-claim history. Most buyers benefit from both before a private purchase.
Do I need the VIN?
Yes. Lien searches and registrations, and the ICBC report, all run on the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number — found on the windshield, the driver’s door jamb, and the registration documents. Confirm it matches across all three before you start.
Does the ICBC report show every accident the car has ever had?
No. It reflects damage claims in ICBC’s own records. If the vehicle was insured elsewhere when damage occurred, or repaired without a claim, that history may not appear — which is why a cross-Canada report can be worth adding for an out-of-province vehicle.
Can you check a vehicle currently registered outside BC?
The ICBC report covers B.C. claims and the B.C. lien search covers B.C. registrations. For a vehicle with history in other provinces, talk to us about a broader vehicle history report so nothing slips through the gaps.
Can I buy a vehicle that has a lien on it?
You’ll want the lien dealt with before you complete the purchase, since it represents money still owed to a lender or other secured party. We can help you read the search result and understand your options, but payout arrangements and any dispute are best handled with the lender or a lawyer.
After the search, can you help with the transfer and insurance?
Yes. If the vehicle checks out, our Surrey advisors can handle the ICBC transfer, plates, registration, and insurance — so you can go from checking the vehicle to driving it without a second stop.
Have the VIN? Let’s check it before you buy — or get your claim on record.
Bring us the VIN and the details. We’ll search what you need to know before you buy, or register the lien that puts your claim on record — and walk you through exactly what it means.
Prime Insurance · 150-8888 152A St, Surrey, BC V3R 0V7 · 604-582-0557
Prime Insurance can help with registry searches, ICBC vehicle claims history reports, and lien registration documents. We do not provide legal advice. For disputes, enforcement, or questions about whether a lien is valid in your situation, please speak with a lawyer.