Motor industry breaches and penalties

On this page you'll find information about the penalties for motor industry-related offences.

These fines are for individuals—corporations could face up to 5 times the maximum penalty.

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These offences relate to your auditor's actions and reports.

OffenceMaximum penalty

Failing to appoint an auditor

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Failing to lodge an audit report within the time limit

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Failing to lodge a final audit on ceasing to be licensee or within 2 months of carrying on business

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Auditor does not immediately file advice of irregularities to the Chief Executive, Office of Fair Trading (OFT)

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Auditor fails to notify the Chief Executive, OFT, when denied access to other records

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Auditor fails to supply a report to the licensee

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

These offences relate to the mandatory cooling-off period.

OffenceMaximum penalty

Failing to identify a consignment sale as not being subject to a cooling-off period

$16,690

Failing to keep a copy of a cooling-off period statement

$16,690

Failing to give a prospective buyer a statement about the cooling-off period and statutory warranty in the approved form

$33,380

Failing to give the original statement to the buyer before signing a contract

$33,380

Harassing or coercing a buyer during the cooling-off period

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Failing to return a trade-in or deposit when the buyer cancels the contract within the cooling-off period

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Inspectors have the legal authority to make sure you don’t break the law. You must follow their lawful directions or risk a fine.

These offences relate to non-compliance with inspectors.

OffenceMaximum penalty

Obstructing an inspector or failing to produce documents or provide information to an inspector

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Failure to give your name and address to an inspector

$8,345

These offences relate to your licence or registration.

Change of licence or registration details

Offence Maximum penalty

Failing to advise Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in writing within 14 days about changes to any aspect of your licence or registration, including your personal details

$16,690

Producing a licence or registration on request

Offence Maximum penalty

Failing to show an inspector your licence or registration—or a copy of any staff member's licence or registration—on their request

$33,380

Failing to show a client or other party (except an inspector) your licence or registration—or a copy of any staff member's licence or registration—on their request

$16,690

Substitute licensees

Read about the rules you must follow when appointing a substitute licensee to avoid being fined.

OffenceMaximum penalty

Not having the consent and evidence of appointment at the office

$16,690

Not lodging an extension of appointment for more than 30 days

$33,380

Acting as licensee while a substitute is appointed

$33,380

You must not tamper with a vehicle's odometer—including winding it back—with the intention to misrepresent the distance it has travelled as being more or less than the vehicle has actually travelled.

People can be charged with this offence even if they're not motor dealers.

Offence Maximum penalty

Tampering with an odometer

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

These offences relate to your place of business.

Offence Maximum penalty

Not having a licensee in charge of your place of business

$33,380 (individual)

$166,900 (corporation)

Being a person in charge at more than 1 place of business

$33,380

Failing to advise OFT in writing within 14 days if you've changed your principal place of business or opened or closed a place of business $33,380

These offences relate to the records you must keep.

Transaction register

OffenceMaximum penalty

Failing to keep a transaction register

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Failing to enter transactions in the register within 24 hours

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Receipts

OffenceMaximum penalty

Not promptly issuing a motor dealer receipt

$1,669

Not keeping a duplicate copy of a motor dealer receipt

$1,669

This penalty is for serious offences.

OffenceMaximum penalty

If you don't return your licence or registration to the Office of Fair Trading within 14 days after being convicted of a serious offence and having your licence or registration cancelled

$16,690

It is in an offence to steal or misuse trust monies. You risk a fine and imprisonment if you break the law.

These offences relate to dealing with trust accounts.

OffenceMaximum penalty

Wrongful conversion (or unauthorised use of money) and falsifying accounts

$166,900 or 5 years imprisonment

Unauthorised use of a trust account

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Not banking trust monies immediately into a trust account

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Banking non-trust monies into a trust account

$33,380 or 1 year imprisonment

Not providing a financial account to the client

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Unlicensed or unregistered work as a motor dealer is against the law. These penalties relate to unlicensed or unregistered work.

Offence Maximum penalty

Working unlicensed or unregistered

$66,760 or 2 years imprisonment

Employing an unlicensed or unregistered person

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Selling, hiring out or lending a licence or registration

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

Buying, borrowing or hiring a licence or registration

$33,380 or 2 years imprisonment

These offences relate to breaching your legal responsibilities to provide warnings and disclosures.

Beneficial interest disclosures

OffenceMaximum penalty

Obtaining from the owner an option to buy a used vehicle in which the dealer has a beneficial interest

$33,380 or 3 years imprisonment

Having a beneficial interest in a sale—other than an option to buy—and not obtaining the client's written agreement in the approved form

$33,380 or 3 years imprisonment

Having a beneficial interest in a sale—other than an option to buy—and charging a commission on that sale

$33,380 or 3 years imprisonment

Having a beneficial interest in a sale—other than an option to buy—and not acting fairly and honestly when completing the sale

$33,380 or 3 years imprisonment

Private sales disclosures

OffenceMaximum penalty

Not disclosing to a potential buyer or seller that you're a licensed motor dealer or registered salesperson—even if buying or selling privately

$66,760

Written-off vehicle disclosures

OffenceMaximum penalty

Not telling the buyer that a vehicle is a written-off vehicle

$33,380

Not asking the buyer to sign an acknowledgement that identifies the used vehicle as a written-off vehicle or statutory write-off

$33,380

Not giving the buyer written acknowledgement of a sale of a repairable/statutory write-off vehicle, and making a copy available to an inspector

$33,380

Dealer and seller statements

OffenceMaximum penalty

Not giving a statement of particulars to the buyer of vehicle

$33,380

Not keeping a copy of seller's statement of particulars

$33,380

Not making a copy of the seller's statement of particulars available to an inspector on request

$33,380

These offences relate to warranties and guarantees.

OffenceMaximum penalty

Not identifying a particular vehicle as being offered for sale without a statutory warranty

$16,690

Not recording the particulars of a warranty period extension

$16,690

Failing to repair defects within 14 days

$33,380

Not guaranteeing clear title (no encumbrances) for a motor vehicle

$33,380

Failing to give a prospective buyer a statement about the statutory warranty and cooling-off period in the approved form $33,380

Enforceable undertakings

An enforceable undertaking is an alternative to court action. It is a legally binding agreement between a business and the Office of Fair Trading that the business won't keep breaking the law.