Overview
Civil enforcement agencies employ bailiffs to collect on people’s outstanding debts. These include:
- court orders
- court judgments
- contractual agreements
- outstanding rents
To pay for outstanding debts, bailiffs seize and sell people’s property, such as:
- vehicles
- land
- cash
- equipment
- luxury items
How to collect an outstanding debt or do an eviction
Step 1. File a court order
To do this, follow this process:
Step 2. Serve the court order
You will need to serve the court order through a process server.
Step 3. Wait for the other party’s response
Court order from a Court of Justice
If you filed your court order in Court of Justice, the other party – an enforcement debtor or a person named in a court order – should respond by following this process:
Court order from the Court of King’s Bench
If you filed your court order in the Court of King’s Bench, the other party should respond by following this process:
Both responses end with you and the other party attending a court hearing.
Step 4. Hire an agency
If the other party doesn’t respond to your court order, hire one of these agencies:
Website: 1216808 Alberta Ltd o/a Prairie Bailiff Services
Toll free: 1-855-883-1012
Website: Allied Shortridge Civil Enforcement Agency
Toll free: 1-800-643-3171
Website: Alternative Bailiff Services
Toll free: 1-866-643-0900
Website: Consolidated Civil Enforcement
Toll free: 1-800-313-4270
Website: Serv-It Bailiff Services
Toll free: 1-866-424-9020
Website: Western Civil Enforcement Agency
Toll free: 1-877-707-7376
Step 5. Wait for an agency’s bailiff to collect or evict
A bailiff may enter the other party's home or business to either:
- collect on their outstanding debt
- carry out an eviction
A bailiff does not require a separate court order to enter the other party's property.
If a bailiff needs to enter property belonging to someone who is not the other party, the bailiff must either:
- get permission from that person to enter the property
- obtain a court order allowing them entrance
A bailiff must present the following upon request:
- Alberta Civil Enforcement Bailiff badge
- Alberta Civil Enforcement ID card
Advance notice
A bailiff is not required to provide advance notice of an eviction or seizure, unless directed to do so by the courts.
Use of force
When a bailiff is authorized to use force, it must be reasonable force. Usually, this means that a locksmith will enter the other party’s home or business by opening a locked door. After a bailiff enters, they can perform their work duties even if they’re asked to leave.
Evictions
If your landlord threatens to evict you or take your property for late rent, you have these options:
- try to resolve the dispute with your landlord
- discuss your situation with a lawyer
- contact the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service
Your landlord cannot evict you or take your property. Only a bailiff can do this.