What happens next

If you bought a vehicle from a private seller and want to dispute the sale – you’ll need to go through the Disputes Tribunal. 

Disputes Tribunal(external link)

If you’re making a claim against a registered trader or from a trader that meets the criteria for registration but isn’t, we can register your application when we receive it.

Notifying the trader

We send a copy of your claim and a notice to the trader that tells them to talk to you about the application within 14 days of receiving the notice (unless the adjudicator changes the date). The trader then needs to tell the tribunal in writing about the outcome of those discussions.

If the dispute is not settled by those discussions or we don’t hear back from the trader within 14 days, we’ll organise a hearing.

Hearing notification

We’ll send you a letter with the time, date and place of the hearing of your application. The earliest a hearing can happen after we receive your application is 4 weeks. Usually hearings are held 1 to 2 months after you file your claim.

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