A Texas bill of sale is necessary if you are selling your car. Basically the Texas car bill of sale is a document that shows that your vehicle has been sold. You need some sort of a paper trail when doing a private sale, as purchasing through a dealer has lots of paperwork, but there is nothing standard for private sales. However, you may not need this document if you have a certificate of title. The requirements are all different depending on your location and may even vary depending on your town or county. You can easily figure out what you need by calling up the local DMV.
The bill of sale is the legal verification that you have made a private sale of your vehicle. When you buy a car through a dealer there is plenty of paperwork that can be used for proof of transaction, but there is not paperwork for private sales. If a problem should occur or the car is involved in an incident, you need proof that you are no longer the owner. This form shows the vehicle has changed hands, and it is recommended you keep this form as protection against liability. Think of this as a receipt or pink slip.
It is possible to write your own bill of sale and some of the information that needs to be in the document include the seller’s name and address, the buyer’s name and address, vehicle description, vehicle identification number, license plate number, the transaction date, any previous owners and the amount that is paid. This is a very simple document and you can easily write your own up if you cannot find a generic form to use.
You can use a form from your county’s office as they already have a bill of sale form on file. There are generic forms as well as forms for the specific counties in Texas. This form can even be downloaded from the Internet so all you have to do is print it out and fill in the information. You can also find plenty of generic forms found online or you can check with your local department of motor vehicles. This form is available for free. It is best to check if you need a specific form, as Jefferson County in Texas has its own special bill of sale form that needs to be used.
As previously stated, the information found in the bill of sale includes the vehicle identification number, the car model, car year and make, names of the buyer and seller, addresses of the buyer and seller and the date of the transaction. You may actually have to have the form signed in front of a notary. The more information you can provide, the better, as it can be worth it to also describe any problems with the car. This shows the buyer was aware of the issues and cannot come back and give you a hard time about anything after the sale has been made. It is all right there in writing.
