Form 20C: Writ of Seizure and Sale of Personal Property

What the 20C is

Form 20C is a writ directing the Court Enforcement Office (sheriff/bailiff) to seize and sell a judgment debtor’s personal property — vehicles, business equipment, inventory — with the proceeds (after costs of seizure and sale) applied to the judgment.

In practice its power is often the threat: a bailiff attending a debtor’s business tends to produce payment. Basic necessities are exempt from seizure under the Execution Act (up to prescribed values for household goods, tools of the trade, one vehicle), so it is most effective against debtors with genuinely seizable assets.

How to fill it out

1. Prepare the enforcement affidavit (Form 20P) showing the judgment, interest, costs and credits — the enforcement office works from your numbers.
2. Complete the 20C and have it issued by the clerk, then file it with the enforcement office in the territory where the debtor’s property is located, with the required deposit for the sheriff’s costs.
3. Give the enforcement office a direction identifying what to seize and where (Form 20O for personal property) — the more specific (make, model, plate, location), the better.
4. Expect the debtor to respond — that’s often the point; be ready to negotiate payment.
5. Writs expire and are renewable (Form 20N) — diarize renewal if the debt remains unpaid.