Search the Personal Property Registry

Searching the Personal Property Registry helps you:

• determine if an individual or enterprise (business) has already offered assets as collateral before you agree to lend them money, offer them credit or buy assets from them
• confirm that a judgment or security interest (lien) registration (like a loan or other financial arrangement) against an individual or enterprise (business) has been discharged (ended)

What you can search for

You can use the Personal Property Registry to search for security interests (liens) in personal property (any property other than land) including motor vehicles, trailers, mobile homes (manufactured homes), aircraft, boats, inventories and accounts.

You can search the Personal Property Registry by serial number for:

• motor vehicles (including cars, trucks and motorcycles)
• trailers
• mobile homes (manufactured homes)
• aircraft
• boats
• outboard motors

Although other goods (like computers, televisions, home appliances and tools) may have a serial number, they’re not identified as serial numbered goods within the Personal Property Registry.

What you can’t search for

You can’t search for security interests (liens) against real property (land, real estate and immovable property). You also can’t search for property ownership because the Personal Property Registry is not an ownership registry.

How to search

You can search the Personal Property Registry by:

• individual debtor name
• enterprise (business) debtor name
• serial number
• registration number (you get this on the Verification Statement when you register and in search results)

For the search to be successful, you need to use accurate legal names for individuals and enterprises (businesses).

Search results

When you search the Personal Property Registry, you get a search results report that includes close matches and exact matches. It’s your responsibility to determine if the matches are related to the individual, enterprise (business) or collateral you’re looking for. See the Guide to Understanding Close and Exact Matches in the Personal Property Registry.

Keep a copy of the search results for your records.

Cost

There is a fee for each search. See Personal Property Registry fees.

ACOL account

You need to have an ACOL client account to search the Personal Property Registry. If you’re only searching for serial numbered goods, you can use Lien Check without an account to search for a security interest (lien) on personal property (any property other than land).

Private service providers

If you’re unsure how to search, there are organizations that can perform a search within the Personal Property Registry. Many law firms and search houses can search on your behalf for an additional fee. ACOL also provides a list of private service providers to help you identify organizations that can help with the registration or search process.

Before you start

Make sure you:

• create an ACOL client account or have your username and password (you get these when you create your ACOL account) unless you’re using Lien Check to find a security interest (lien) on personal property
• have the individual debtor’s name or enterprise (business) debtor’s name
• have the serial number of the serial numbered item (if required)
• have the registration number (if available)
• know the jurisdiction (province or territory)

Technical requirement

You need to have Adobe Reader or other software to read the search results report (PDF format).

Start now

Create an ACOL client account