The Swedish Enforcement Authority ( sv, Kronofogdemyndigheten; literally: ''
The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...
Bailiff
A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their o ...
Authority'') is a
government agency
A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...
in charge of
debt collection
Debt collection is the process of pursuing payments of debts owed by individuals or businesses. An organization that specializes in debt collection is known as a collection agency or debt collector. Most collection agencies operate as agents of ...
,
distraint
Distraint or distress is "the seizure of someone’s property in order to obtain payment of rent or other money owed", especially in common law countries. Distraint is the act or process "whereby a person (the ''distrainor''), traditionally ev ...
,
eviction
Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortgag ...
s, and the enforcement of court orders in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
. The authority also supervise trustees in bankruptcy.
Authority
The Enforcement Authority is the only organization in Sweden empowered to withdraw money from bank accounts of
debtor
A debtor or debitor is a legal entity (legal person) that owes a debt to another entity. The entity may be an individual, a firm, a government, a company or other legal person. The counterparty is called a creditor. When the counterpart of this ...
s and, if necessary, visit the homes and companies of debtors to seize (
distrain) property. The authority also has the right to withhold money directly from a debtor's income. It can collect debts for individuals and businesses as well as for the government.
Payment order
A person or organization whose debtor refuses to pay an outstanding debt can submit a claim (payment order) to the Authority. The respondent is served the claim, and has to respond within a certain time. If there is no response and if there is proof that the claim has been served the recipient, the Authority is empowered to announce an enforceable verdict, which can be used for foreclosure. If the respondent disputes a debt claim, the claim must be tried by a court in a civil lawsuit. The payment order system is therefore a fast track to get an enforceable verdict in cases where the legal claim is not disputed, and in other cases an alternative to subpoena.
See also
*
Government agencies in Sweden
The government agencies in Sweden are state-controlled organizations that act independently to carry out the policies of the Government of Sweden. The ministries are relatively small and merely policy-making organizations, allowed to monitor th ...
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Government agencies of Sweden
National law enforcement agencies of Sweden
Public finance of Sweden
Debt collection