Writ search (execution search)
An execution search checks a jurisdiction’s record of enforcement writs or judgments for a named debtor. In Ontario, the record is the sheriff’s electronic index of writs of execution. In Saskatchewan, the Judgment Registry can be searched for judgments and enforcement instructions affecting personal property and lands.
Before closing, ask whether a creditor has filed a writ against the seller. The search result feeds into the wider hunt for undisclosed debts and personal guarantees. It sits alongside, not instead of, a PPSA lien search.
Ontario
The Execution Act defines the index as the electronic database the sheriff maintains as the index of writs of execution. The sheriff enters each writ, assigns consecutive numbers, notes its effective date and gives each land registrar access. Because the debtor’s name set out in a writ matters (s. 11 sets conditions for lands), ask whether the search covered every name the seller has used.
Saskatchewan
The Information Services Corporation says a debtor-name search returns exact matches, with options for similar spelling, wildcards and replaced characters. A separate Saskatchewan Personal Property Registry search returns active liens, judgments and sheriff’s notices. Other provinces differ.
Sources
This definition is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Government of OntarioGovernmentExecution Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.24
- 02Information Services Corporation (ISC)RegulatorSearching in the Judgment Registry
- 03Information Services Corporation (ISC)RegulatorJudgment Registry
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