Ontario Writ of Execution Search

If a creditor has taken the appropriate litigation steps and fails to collect moneys owed by a debtor in default, a judge may issue a Writ of Execution. Once a judgement is issued and the debtor does not make payment the writ will be registered at the local Sheriff's office. This search is also referred to an 'outstanding judgement search'.

An Execution search: A search is conducted with the Sheriff's office at the Land Registry and a certificate is provided stating no record is found. If an execution (writ) exists a summary printout can be obtained for an additional government fee. The Writ Report is only a summary of the execution and not the actual writ document. The report will provide the following details: file number, issue date, effective date, court file number, court type (if applicable), the amount of the judgement, the name of the debtor, creditor and lawyer.  The information provided may vary depending on the originating court file type.

Tips: As with other due diligence searches, the individuals complete legal name is required in order to pull the correct information. Multiple searches may be required if the individual has names in other languages.  When searching a company name, it's good practice to refer to the companies originating charter documents.

Provincial Writ/Execution Search

An equivalent search conducted in the relevant Provinces Court system, Sheriff's office or Judgement Registry.  The information provided and processing time required will vary between the Provinces.  A city or jurisdiction is provided for some Provinces as they do not provide a Province-wide search/certificate.  There is no Writ/Execution search available in Alberta, writ information will be included in the PPR (lien) search.