Personal Property Securities risks for
bailments and consignments.
Taryn Hartley
The Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) (PPSA) created a new regime for security
interests over personal property in Australia. The introduction of the PPSA has resulted in
bailments and consignments being required to be registered on the Personal Property
Securities Register in order to qualify for possible protection.
When does the PPSA apply to bailments?
The PPSA will apply if a bailment is deemed to be a “PPS lease” or if it “in substance
secures the payment or performance of an obligation”. Note that the PPSA only applies
where the bailee provides “value” (so a bailor who has not charged a fee need not be
concerned with these laws).
A PPS lease is a lease or bailment of goods for:
a term of more than one year; or
an indefinite term; or
a term of up to one year that is automatically renewable if the total of all terms may
exceed one year.
If the bailor is not regularly engaged in the business of bailing goods then these
provisions will not apply. However, other provisions of the PPSA may apply to enable
interests to be protected.
Some examples of common bailments scenarios include:
leaving goods with a repair service to hold and fix (such as a damaged television or
computer);
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leaving goods with a third party for security purposes (such as a safety deposit box
at a bank); and
leaving goods for the performance of a service (such as the parking of a car). When does the PPSA apply to consignments?
The PPSA will apply to a consignment arrangement if the transaction in substance
secures the payment or performance of an obligation or if the transaction is classified as a
commercial consignment. A “commercial consignment” is where:
the consignor retains an interest in the goods delivered to the consignee; and
the consignor delivered the goods to the consignee for the purpose of sale, lease or
other disposal; and
the consignor and consignee both deal in goods of that kind in the ordinary course
of business.
Court treatment of security interests for bailments and
consignments
A recent decision in the Supreme Court of Western Australia clarifies the application of
the PPSA to consignments and bailments and illustrates some of the problems which can
arise for owners of property in these situations.
Facts
A business (Arcabi) was involved in storing rare coins and banks notes (Goods) owned by
third parties (bailments) and selling such Goods for others on consignment. The Goods
were at Arcabi’s premises when Arcabi went into liquidation. Westpac had a perfected
general security interest over Arcabi’s present and future assets.
The court was required to decide whether the owners of the goods were entitled to their
property in Arcabi’s possession or whether such property would form part of Arcabi’s
general assets to be made available to creditors.
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Decision on bailment arrangements
The court determined that the bailments did not ‘in substance’ secure the payment or
performance of an obligation as there was no suggestion that the Goods would ever vest
in Arcabi, the arrangement was not likely to be for the major part of the economic life of
the goods (as the goods had an indefinite life), and the bailment fee did not equal the
capital cost of the Goods.[1]
The bailment arrangements were not PPS leases either, as the investors were not
considered to regularly engage in the business of bailing goods (collecting rare coins was
merely a hobby and not a business for them).
Decision on consignment arrangements
The court also determined that the PPSA did not apply to the consignments. There was
no persuasive evidence that Arcabi ever had title to the consigned Goods.[2] Title
remained with the investors until the Goods were sold, the Goods were specifically
identifiable where stored,[3] and the consignments themselves were arrangements of
mutual benefit.[4] Arcabi would receive compensation and the investors would receive
proceeds without having to sell the Goods themselves. The Goods were left at the
premises for Arcabi to sell, they were not given as security.
The arrangements were not commercial consignments because the consignor was not
dealing with goods of that kind in the ordinary course of business (again, the consignors
were not operating a regular business selling rare coins, it was generally a series of oneoff transactions).
Result
The result of the court’s conclusions was that no security interests under the PPSA were
created between the investors and Arcabi. Therefore, there was no need for them to be
perfected, and the owners could get the Goods back (as they never lost title). The lesson
is that not all transactions give rise to “security interests under the PPSA.
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How you can protect your interests
If you regularly engage in the bailment of goods for value or regularly offer goods
for sale on consignment, develop a practice of registering your interests in each
relevant transaction.
Be aware of the consequences of a business in possession of your personal
property falling insolvent.
If in doubt, obtain legal advice regarding the applicability of the PPSA and the
priority of your security interest.
How can we help?
Assist in the drafting of agreements between the parties concerning the bailment
or consignment of goods
Advise you on how the requirements in the PPSA apply to your property
Advise you in the event of damage to your property or any disputes between the
parties to the arrangement
[1] at [21].
[2] at [37].
[3] at [39].
[4] at [49].
Contact the article author for more info
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Taryn Hartley
Corporate and Commercial | Brisbane
T: 07 3014 6513
E: [email protected]
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