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Attachment
Part 2 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 outlines the attachment of the client’s ‘corporeal moveable property’. This is property which is tangible (corporeal), is not fixed like land or buildings and can be handled and moved (moveable). Therefore, a client’s car can be attached, as well as property within the car. It also includes property that is stored in a garden shed, a lock up or on business premises. A mobile home can be attached unless it is the client’s sole or principal residence.
Property attached can be presumed to be owned by the client or jointly owned by the client and a third party in common with the client.
Property within a dwellinghouse cannot be attached and certain goods are exempt from attachment.
An attachment can only be actioned following the expiry of a charge for payment. The client must be provided with a DAIP which they must receive no later than the service of the charge for payment.
When attachment is used
Creditors rarely use attachments for personal debt as they can use other, more effective diligences – eg, bank and wage arrestment. The majority of attachments are executed against businesses but, regardless of whether it is a personal or business debt, the creditor must serve the client with a charge for payment after court action has happened. The charge for payment can only be served by a sheriff officer or messenger-at-arms.
Although summary diligence and summary warrant does not have a traditional court hearing, a charge for payment must still be served before the creditor can execute an attachment.
 
Times when attachment is not competent
It is not competent to execute an attachment on:1s12 DAA(S)A 2002
    a Sunday; or
    a day which is a public holiday in the area in which the attachment is to be executed; or
    such other day as may be prescribed by Act of Sederunt.
The execution of an attachment cannot begin before 8am or after 8pm or be continued after 8pm, unless the officer has obtained prior authority from the sheriff for such commencement or continuation.
 
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How the attachment is carried out
After the expiry of a charge for payment, the creditor can instruct sheriff officers to carry out an attachment. When the sheriff officers arrive at the client’s property, they can open shut and lockfast doors – eg, a garage door or business premises doors. They then complete an attachment schedule: this shows all the property that has been attached and the value of the goods attached. A copy of the schedule is given to the client. The sheriff officer does not remove the property immediately unless they have a court order allowing them to do so.
The sheriff officer must then report the attachment to the sheriff court within 14 days of it being carried out.1s17 DAA(S)A 2002 After the report is received by the sheriff, notice is then given to the client that the attached property will be collected for auction. The sheriff officer is then allowed to come on that day and remove the attached goods, which are sold at auction.
The client has 14 days from the date the attachment was executed to challenge the attachment or redeem their property from the sheriff officer.2s18 DAA(S)A 2002
 
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Goods exempt from attachment
Certain goods owned by the client cannot be attached. These include:1s11 DAA(S)A 2002
    tools, books or other equipment reasonably required for the client’s profession, trade or business and not exceeding in aggregate value £1,000;
    any vehicle, the use of which is so reasonably required by the client, not exceeding in value £3,000;
    a mobile home which is the client’s only or principal residence;
    tools or equipment reasonably required for keeping the client’s garden in good order;
    any money.
If a sheriff officer attaches any of these, the client can apply to have them removed from the attachment schedule on the grounds they are exempt.2s26 DAA(S)A 2002
 
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Unlawful acts after attachment
After goods have been attached (but not yet removed for auction), it is illegal for the client or any other third party to remove the goods from the place they were attached.1s21 DAA(S)A 2002 For example, an attached car cannot be moved to another property and kept there as if it was its new address.
The client cannot gift or sell the goods to someone else. They cannot wilfully damage or allow someone else to wilfully damage the goods. Where goods have been removed, gifted or sold to someone else or wilfully damaged, the client or third party that has done so may be guilty of an offence and could be fined or given a custodial sentence by the sheriff. The sheriff may also order a further attachment take place at the client’s property.
If the goods are stolen or damaged in an accident, the client must inform the sheriff officers immediately and provide details of any insurance claims that are being made.
 
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How long an attachment lasts
As a general rule, attachments cease if it has been six months since the sheriff officers executed that attachment or if sheriff officers have already removed the attached goods.1s24 DAA(S)A 2002 Then, if the goods have not been auctioned after 28 days, the attachments cease and if the goods have been removed, they are returned to the client.
The auction of the attached goods may be cancelled to allow the sums recoverable to be paid in accordance with an agreement between the creditor and the client. A sheriff officer cannot cancel the arrangements for such an auction on more than two occasions.
 
The auction
Generally, an auction is ‘a public auction’ unless it is impractical to do so. It should be held within 28 days of the goods being removed from the client’s address.2s24 DAA(S)A 2002 If this does not happen, the attachment ceases to be valid and the goods are returned to the client.
The sheriff officer and a witness must attend the auction. When the goods are sold, the sheriff officer can take their fees and outlays from the monies ‘ingathered’. The rest goes to the creditor and any amount over the debt total is returned to the client.
The creditor, a third party or the client can bid for the attached goods at auction.
The sheriff officer must send the court a report within 14 days of the auction outlining the outcome of the same.3s32 DAA(S)A 2002
 
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Redemption of attached goods
The client can, within 14 days of the date on which goods were attached, redeem (buy back) those goods.1s18 DAA(S) 2002 They must pay the amount the goods have been valued at by the sheriff officers. When full payment of the value of the attached good is received by the sheriff officers, a receipt is given to the client which ends the attachment.
 
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Challenging an attachment
There are several grounds where an attachment can be challenged.1Sch 1 (Appendix 1) AoS(DAA(S)) 2002 Some of the common grounds used include:
    the fixed value of goods is too low;
    the release of a vehicle from an attachment;
    the attachment is invalid;
    the attached goods are jointly owned;
    the attached goods belong to someone else.
When a client takes the completed forms to the court, the sheriff clerk sets a hearing date and gives the client and the creditor an opportunity to make representations to the court. This also has the effect of postponing the auction until this is settled. The sheriff has the final say. There is no cost to the client to challenge an attachment, although if they lose and the creditor has costs associated with defending the action, they may ask the court to fix a hearing to allow expenses to be charged to the client.
The forms needed are in Schedule 1 (Appendix 1) to the Act of Sederunt (Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002) 2002.
 
Fixed value of goods is too low
If the client believes the value fixed by the sheriff officer to any attached goods is too low, they can appeal this up to the date of the auction by completing Form 4. If the sheriff agrees with the client’s assertion, the attachment ceases; if not the auction goes ahead.2s23 DAA(S)A 2002
 
Release of a vehicle from attachment
A client can apply to the courts for the release of their attached vehicle.3s22 DAA(S)A 2002 This must be done within 14 days of the attachment and the car must be valued at £3,000 or less. The client can claim the sale would be ‘unduly harsh’. This is not defined in the Act, but it could be argued that the car is required for work or hospital appointments. If the attached vehicle is valued at more than £3,000, the sheriff can order the immediate sale of the car and state that £3,000 be returned to the client (to allow them to buy another car). If the car is not sold within 14 days of the order, it is returned to the client and excluded from the attachment. It cannot be attached again. A client must complete Form 11.
 
The attachment is invalid
At any time up until the auction, a client can make an application to the court to have the attachment declared invalid.4s26 DAA(S)A 2002 This can be on the grounds that there were procedural irregularities – eg, the attachment was carried out on a Sunday. The sheriff can also order that an attachment is invalid, without the client having made an application, if they are satisfied that the attachment has ceased to have effect (generally out of time) or the attachment was invalid due to procedural irregularities. Form 13 (Invalidity and Cessation of Attachment) should be completed.
 
The attached goods are jointly owned
Jointly owned goods can be attached by sheriff officers. The person who jointly owns the goods can (up to the date of the auction) pay the client’s share of the value of the goods attached to the sheriff officers, which transfers ownership to them and releases the goods from the attachment. The client or the joint owner can also argue that attaching the goods would be ‘unduly harsh’ to the joint owner and, if accepted by the sheriff, the attached goods would be released from the attachment. In both instances, sheriff officers can execute a further attachment on the client. Form 20 is used when the claim is that the attachment would be unduly harsh to the joint owner.
 
Attached goods belong to someone else
If a person claims to own the goods attached (and before the auction occurs), they can challenge the attachment of those goods.5s34 DAA(S)A 2002 This can either be done when the attachment is being carried out (and the sheriff officer is satisfied the goods they are about to attach belong to someone other than the client named on the attachment schedule) or by the owner using Form 18 to challenge the attachment of those goods when they have already been attached. If the sheriff is satisfied these goods belong to someone else, they are removed from the attachment schedule and sheriff officers can go back to the client’s address to further attach other goods.
 
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