Law guide: Complaints and disputes

See how we helped Liz

"It's not just a website... there are people there on call who can help answer your queries."

Liz W, London

Attachment of Debt (aka Garnishee Order)

Attachment of Debt (aka Garnishee Order)

Attachment of Debt Order (also known as Garnishee Order)

This Order gives the EJO the power to 'freeze' a debtor's bank account. It is served personally on the bank (garnishee) and is conditional which gives the garnishee an opportunity to appear before the EJO to give reasons why the money should not or can't be paid. Please note these Orders are the least used of all enforcement methods.

The EJO has power to determine any dispute and if in doubt to refer the matter to the High Court.

When can I apply for an Attachment of Debt Order?

An Attachment of Debt Order will only be issued on receipt of a Full Enforcement Application, after investigation into the debtor's bank accounts and dependent on whether the debtor has sufficient funds over and above normal living expenses.

What happens once the order is served?

The EJO will serve the Order on the garnishee with details such as the amount due and owing to the creditor, details that payment must be addressed to the EJO and if for any reason, show cause why an Order should not be made for payment to the creditor for that amount.

Payments made or recovered from the garnishee under an Attachment of Debts Order shall be valid discharge to the garnishee as against the debtor in respect of the amount so paid or recovered.

Payments made to the EJO will be retained for 28 days and then forwarded to the creditor directly.

Copyright © 2024 Epoq Group Ltd. All trademarks acknowledged, all rights reserved

This website is operated by Epoq Legal Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 3707955, whose registered office is at 2 Imperial Place, Maxwell Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 1JN. Epoq Legal Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 645296).

Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We would also like to set some optional cookies. We won't set these optional cookies unless you enable them. Please choose whether this site may use optional cookies by selecting 'On' or 'Off' for each category below. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookie notice.

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Functionality cookies

We'd like to set cookies to provide you with a better customer experience. For more information on these cookies, please see our cookie notice.