Register a security interest or search for a lien on Access Now

Access Now provides online access to the personal property security registration system in Ontario.

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Overview

Access Now does not provide information concerning real property such as real estate, land, realty or immovable property. If you are trying to search for or register this type of information visit Land Registration Information.

Register or conduct a lien search

Personal Property Security Registration ( PPSR ) system allows you to register a notice of security interest or lien on personal property ( e.g. cars, boats, furniture) that was used as collateral to obtain a loan or that was repaired or stored.

Access Now allows you to register a notice of security interest (also called a lien) on personal property ( e.g. cars, boats, furniture):

• that has been used as collateral to obtain a loan or
• that is being repaired or stored

You can also use Access Now to find out if a lien has been filed in the Personal Property Security Registration ( PPSR ) system in Ontario. Before buying a used car or other used goods, you should do a search on Access Now to protect yourself financially.

Note: Please be advised that while registering or searching within Access Now, you must follow the step-by-step online instruction screens to ensure correct results. Skipping steps may result in bypassing critical validations or edit functions. ServiceOntario is not liable for any incorrect results obtained under these conditions.

Personal property search

Before buying a used car or other used goods, consumers should do a personal property search to protect themselves financially.

For example, a search may indicate that the seller or a previous owner has obtained a loan and that the lender may have rights in a used car that a consumer intends to buy. If so, the search results will enable the consumer to contact the lender to confirm whether or not the loan is still in effect, and to obtain further details.

If the loan has been repaid, the buyer should insist that the seller require the lender to promptly register a discharge before the sale is completed. However, if there is an outstanding loan, the consumer may either decide against completing the sale or require the seller to arrange for payment of the loan as well as registration of a discharge.

If a lender has rights in the used car and a search is not done, the car could later be seized if the borrower fails to repay the loan.

Please Note: a search is not required when buying a new car or other new goods from the dealer.

What is the process

Lenders and borrowers must enter into what are called “security agreements.” The lender registers a “notice” of the agreement in the Personal Property Security Registration ( PPSR ) system.

This is done by completing and submitting a document, electronically, called a “financing statement” to the Companies and Personal Property Security Branch of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery.

The information is then recorded by the branch in a computer file and is available for searching by potential lenders and buyers. Within 30 days of registering the financing statement, the lender must provide the borrower with details of the registration.

If there is an error in the registration, the borrower should advise the lender so that a correction can be made.

Who should register

Persons involved in one of two basic types of transactions should make a registration in the Personal Property Security Registration ( PPSR ) system to protect their interests.

Creditors who secure payment of a debt by taking a security interest in the personal property of the debtor should register a financing statement under the Personal Property Security Act ( PPSA ).

Persons who repair or store an article and who, prior to receiving full payment give up possession of that article, should register a claim for lien under the Repair and Storage Liens Act ( RLSA ).

Registering in the Personal Property Security Registration ( PPSR ) system pursuant to these Acts helps to establish priorities between individuals with competing interests in the same personal property, and in the case of a claim for lien will also ensure that the non-possessory lien is enforceable against third parties.

Information is kept current through the registration of a financing change statement ( PPSA ) or change statement ( RLSA ).

Register a security interest on Access Now

Create a web account to:

• file a new registration
• change, renew or discharge an existing registration
• make enquiries payable from your existing deposit account

You can also search to see if a lien is registered on Access Now. You can pay for your search with:

• Credit card (Visa or Mastercard)
• Debit card (Visa or Mastercard)

Register in-person

If you are an Access Now credit card user and wish to register a discharge, partial discharge, or an amendment to reduce the registration period you will be required to complete the following process:

• you must visit one of the selected ServiceOntario centres to attend an in-person identification process
• you must submit one piece of primary and one piece of secondary identification from the lists below

Open a Personal Property Security Registration deposit account

To open a deposit account you must visit one of the selected ServiceOntario centres to attend an in-person identification process.bsp;

You will be required to present:

• the completed deposit account and direct access application form
• an initial deposit requirement of $500 in the form of a certified cheque payable to “Minister of Finance” (Money Orders will not be accepted)
• one piece of primary and one piece of secondary identification from the list below

The deposit account will not be established during the in-person process. The transaction will be processed within 4-6 weeks.

The staff at the ServiceOntario centre will help you to ensure that:

• all required documentation is submitted
• a tracking number is assigned
• information is securely forwarded to the head office of the Companies and Personal Property Security Branch for processing
• after your request is processed, you will be sent a web account package. It will include:
  • personal property security registration user ID and password
  • account number and sub-account number
  • direct access agreement
  • either an enquiry code for lien searches or a registration code for registering a security interest / lien on the internet, or both, depending on your original request

  Find a ServiceOntario centres that provides Personal Property Security Registration in-person identification services.

  Individuals

  If you are going to pay by a major credit/debit card to register a financing statement or claim for lien, you need to create a web account. Your identity will be authenticated during this process. For security purposes you will need to provide consumer credit information about yourself to Equifax Canada Inc., a registered consumer reporting agency in Ontario. This service is provided under contractual agreement with the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. Please review our privacy policy for more information.

  If you do not want to create a web account, there are other ways to get personal property security registration services.

  Business

  To create a business web account, you need to visit one of the selected ServiceOntario centres for an in-person authentication process to open a deposit account.

  Customers with an Existing Personal Property Security Registration User ID and Deposit Account

  If you already have a personal property security registration user ID and deposit account, you can sign up for your web account online.

  You will need the following information that was mailed to you when your user ID was setup:

  • Personal Property Security Registration user ID and password
  • account number, sub-account number and account code
  • your login to Access Now with your Personal Property Security Registration user ID and password
  • enter your account number, sub-account number, enquiry account code
  • complete your user profile page and submit it
  • enter a new password and submit it

  Please Note:
  Make sure the phone number and an e-mail address that you provide is correct. It will be used to retrieve your password if you forget it. We recommend printing a copy of your user profile for future reference.

  Hours of operation

  Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Registration and lien search services)
  Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Lien searches only)

  Cost

  Payment methods

  • Prepaid deposit account
  • Credit card (Visa or Mastercard)
  • Debit card (Visa or Mastercard)

  Registrations

  For a new registration or renewal of a financing statement or financing change statement under the Personal Property Security Act :

  • 1 to 25 years: $8 per year
  • a perpetual period: $500
  • amendments and other changes: $12
  • renewals: $8 per year
  • discharges: $0

  New registration or renewal of a claim for a lien or change statement under the Repair and Storage Liens Act :

  • 1 to 3 years: $8 per year:
  • amendments and other changes: $12
  • renewals: $8 per year
  • discharges: $0

  Searches

  • online response: $8
  • certificate response: $8
  • production (retrieval) and copy of a central office statement: $14
  • certified copy of a Financing statement (fee includes production and copying): $15

  Corporation Securities Registration Act Records

  • inspection of a document registered under the CSRA: $12
  • copy of a document registered under the Corporation Securities Registration Act : $1 per page ($12 minimum fee)
  • certification of a copy of a document registered under the Corporation Securities Registration Act : $23

  Note: ServiceOntario is required to charge a fee of $35 for all cheques returned by the bank as not-negotiable.

  Personal Property Security Assurance Fund

  This is a Trust Account in the Consolidated Revenue Fund. A portion of the fees received under the Personal Property Security Act ( PPSA ) is paid into this fund. Compensation from this fund may be claimed under certain conditions.

  Make a claim

  A person claiming to be entitled to payment of compensation out of the Assurance Fund shall file an application with the Registrar of Personal Property, setting out the person’s name and address and particulars of the claim.

  Please refer to the Personal Property Security Act ( PPSA ) for relevant information.

  Lien information

  Dispute of the amount of the lien

  There is a special procedure in the act that allows an owner who disputes the amount of the lien to have the goods returned.

  The owner must make an application to court and pay the full amount in dispute into court. In the application, the owner may indicate the amount (if any) which the owner believes is owing and which the owner is willing to offer in payment to the lien claimant.

  The court will then issue an initial certificate to the owner. The owner must give the lien claimant the initial certificate.

  If the lien claimant believes that the amount paid into court is not the full amount owing, the lien claimant must, within three days of receiving the initial certificate, file a notice of objection with the court indicating what the full amount owing is.

  The owner, upon payment into court of the additional amount, will be given a final certificate to give the lien claimant. The lien claimant must immediately release the article to the owner and then accept the amount offered in settlement by the owner or commence a law suit for the full amount.

  If a lien claimant does not return the article or file a notice of objection within three days of receiving the initial certificate or does not release the article immediately upon receiving the final certificate, the owner can have the sheriff or bailiff seize the article.

  If the lien claimant fails to accept the amount offered in settlement by the owner or commence an action within 90 days from the date that the owner regains possession of the article (either because the sheriff or bailiff has seized it or it has been voluntarily returned), the owner can have the money paid into court returned.

  This procedure enables the owner to regain possession of the article while at the same time the money paid into court protects the lien claimant’s claim. The dispute no longer centres on the article; it centres on the full amount paid into court.

  In addition to this special procedure, there is a general provision in the act permitting an application to the court to resolve disputes arising out of the repair or storage of articles. If an owner chooses to proceed under the special procedure, however, the general provision cannot be used to resolve the same dispute.

  Goods returned

  In some circumstances a lien claimant may wish to return the goods to the owner before being paid for the repair or storage services. A lien claimant may also repair goods on-site at a factory or at a home. In both cases, the act provides that the lien claimant may have "non-possessory" lien rights.

  The lien claimant must obtain "a signed acknowledgement of indebtedness" (i.e. an invoice for the services performed signed by owner) from the owner stating that the owner agrees that an amount is owing for repair or storage services.

  A person who signs the acknowledgement is free to dispute the amount owing in any court proceeding that may occur at some future date.

  The lien claimant who gives up possession of an article before being paid is a "non-possessory" lien claimant.

  In addition to obtaining a signed acknowledgement of indebtedness, a non-possessory lien claimant must register a document, electronically, called a "Claim for Lien" in the Personal Property Security Registration (PPSR) system in order to fully protect a lien interest in the article.

  The Repair and Storage Liens Act (RLSA) allows a non-possessory lien claimant who remains unpaid to have the sheriff seize the article from the owner in order to sell or otherwise dispose of it to satisfy the lien.

  The lien claimant must give the sheriff a copy of the registered claim for lien and a direction to seize form (the direction to seize form is available in the sheriff’s office).

  A non-possessory lien claimant has the same options as a possessory lien claimant - sale, retention or donation to charity in accordance with the procedures outlined in the act.

  How long is information saved for

  Lenders must select the time period for the registration. Business loans may be registered for as long as 25 years, or for a perpetual period. In the case of consumer loans, lenders can register only for up to five years at a time. When a consumer loan is repaid, the lender is required to register a “discharge” within 30 days. Please refer to section 56(4) of the Personal Property Security Act (PPSA) for information about what a borrower can do if the lender fails to discharge a security interest. The branch will remove a discharged registration 60 days later. If no discharge is registered, the registration will remain in the PPSR system until the end of the registration period.

  Claimant does not sell

  If a lien claimant does not comply with the rules for sale, retention or donation to a charity, any person who suffers damage as a result is entitled to receive $200 or the actual cost of damage, whichever is greater.

  The person claiming damages will have to prove in a court of law that damage was suffered as a result of the non-compliance.

  Ensure payment

  A repairer or storer has a lien against the goods repaired or stored equal to the cost of the services. The Repair and Storage Liens Act (RLSA) gives the repairer or storer (the lien claimant) the right to retain possession of the article until payment is received.

  If the owner of the article fails to pay the lien claimant within a specified amount of time, the lien claimant has the right to sell or otherwise dispose of the article to satisfy the amount of the lien.

  The lien claimant can sell the article, keep the article or donate the article to charity in accordance with the procedures set out in the Repair and Storage Liens Act .

  Get the article back

  At any time before an article is sold, the owner can pay the lien claimant the amount of the lien, including the lien claimant’s reasonable expenses, and get the goods back from the lien claimant.

  Acceptable documents

  • driver’s licence (Canadian or U.S. only)
  • government employment card
  • military employment card
  • age of majority card / Ontario Photo Card
  • Canadian citizenship card
  • Indian status card
  • passport (Canadian or foreign)
  • permanent resident card
  • Canadian firearms card
  • National institute for blind card
  • birth certificate (Ontario only)
  • baptismal certificate
  • hunting licence
  • fishing licence
  • Outdoors Card
  • Canadian blood donor’s card
  • immigration papers

  If you don’t have one of the secondary documents you may present a second document from the list of primary identification.

  Vexatious registrations

  A vexatious registration (suspicious registration) is when a registration has been made against you or your assets that has no legal basis for registration under the Personal Property Security Act .

  For example, an individual who owes businesses or people money may make a registration to harass or frustrate the debtor or creditor that is trying to collect the debts owed. The collector could be a senior executive from a financial institution, a government official or other person of power.

  How to remove a vexatious registration

  If you think a vexatious registration has been made against you, you can call the ServiceOntario contact centre to apply to have the vexatious registration removed.

  A registration will only be removed at the discretion of the registrar. If there is any dispute or insufficient evidence to support your claim, you may be required to obtain a court order.

  Contact us

  You can reach the ServiceOntario contact centre at:

  • Toronto:416-325-8847
  • Toll-free: 1-800-267-8847
  • TorontoTTY : 416-325-3408
  • Toll-free TTY : 1-800-268-7095

  The Personal Property Security Registration ( PPSR ) system is available:

  Registration and search services, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday
  Lien searches, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays only