What personal property can be seized under a writ to satisfy a support arrears debt?

Once a writ of seizure and sale is filed to enforce a support debt, it can extend to personal property the payor owns, not just real estate. In general Ontario enforcement practice, this can include items like vehicles and other valuable, saleable belongings, which the sheriff's office can seize and sell to put the proceeds toward the arrears. Certain essential and low-value personal items are typically protected from seizure under general exemption rules that apply to enforcement of debts, so it isn't a blanket power to take anything a payor owns.

For support arrears specifically, this tool tends to be used where other, less intrusive enforcement steps such as wage or bank account garnishment haven't resolved a persistent default. Because the exact scope of what can and can't be seized depends on the type of property, its value, and general exemption rules, it isn't something to assume from general principles alone. A payor facing a writ, or a recipient wondering whether it's worth pursuing, should get legal advice about what property is realistically available to satisfy the debt in their specific situation before relying on assumptions about how far seizure can go.