Writ of Distress 遇险令状

 Applying for a Writ of Distress When a Singapore Tenant Owes You Rent

当新加坡租户欠您租金时申请扣押令

What is a Writ of Distress and What is it Used For? 什么是扣押令及其用途？

In Singapore, a writ of distress is an order issued by a court, on the application of a landlord. It allows a sheriff (an enforcement officer of the court) to enter a property to seize the tenant’s possessions, and sell these to cover the cost of the tenant’s unpaid rent. 在新加坡，扣押令是法院根据房东的申请发出的命令。 它允许治安官（法院的执法人员）进入房产扣押租户的财产，并出售这些财产以支付租户未付的租金。

A landlord can use a writ of distress to claim unpaid rent of up to 12 months from the date of the application for a writ of distress. 房东可以使用扣押令状索取自申请扣押令状之日起最多 12 个月的未付租金。

If the tenant has already abandoned the premises by the time the writ is granted, the writ empowers the landlord to effectively take back possession of his premises if he is owed at least 2 months’ rent. This is even if the lease period has not expired yet. 如果在授予令状时租客已经放弃了房屋，则如果房东欠至少 2 个月的租金，则令状授权房东有效地收回对其房屋的占有。 即使租赁期尚未到期也是如此。

What Can and Cannot be Seized under a Writ of Distress? 根据扣押令可以扣押什么，不可以扣押什么？

The sheriff can seize any items in the premises except:

治安官可以扣押场所内的任何物品，但以下情况除外：

Whatever is in the tenant’s hands at the time of seizure and that is being used; 扣押时租户手中的任何物品以及正在使用的物品；

Any tools or implements, assuming that there are already other items in the premises that can be seized to fully cover the amount set out in the writ of distress; 任何工具或器具，假设场所内已经有其他物品，可以扣押以完全覆盖扣押令中规定的金额；

Clothes and bedding; 衣服和床上用品；

Anything relating to the tenant’s work; 任何与租客工作有关的事情；

Anything belonging to hotel guests if the premises is a hotel; and 如果场所是酒店，则属于酒店客人的任何物品； 和

Anything already in the custody of the law. 任何已经受到法律监管的东西。

Procedure to Apply for a Writ of Distress in Singapore 在新加坡申请扣押令的程序

The procedure for applying for a writ of distress in Singapore is to file an originating application without notice with a supporting affidavit in the form prescribed by the Rules of Court. You should ideally engage a lawyer to do this for you. 在新加坡申请扣押令的程序是在不另行通知的情况下提交原始申请，并附上法院规则规定格式的支持宣誓书。 理想情况下，您应该聘请律师为您做这件事。

What Happens When a Writ of Distress is Executed? 执行扣押令状后会发生什么？

When a writ is executed, the sheriff goes down to the premises, seizes items to sell and provides the tenant with a list of everything seized as well as a notice of the seizure. 执行令状后，治安官会前往房屋，扣押要出售的物品，并向租户提供扣押所有物品的清单以及扣押通知。

The tenant would then be given 5 days to either:

然后，租户将有 5 天的时间进行以下任一操作：

Pay all the rent, legal costs and sheriff’s costs; or 支付所有租金、法律费用和治安官费用； 或者

Apply to court to stop the sale of the items. 向法院申请停止销售该物品。

If the tenant does neither of these things, the items will be auctioned. The proceeds from the auctions will be used in this order:

如果租户不做上述任何事情，物品将被拍卖。 拍卖所得款项将按以下顺序使用：

First, to cover the sheriff’s fees and expenses 首先，支付治安官的费用和开支

Then, to cover the rent and costs that the tenant owes the landlord 然后，支付租户欠房东的租金和费用

Any remainder is returned to the tenant

剩余部分将退还给租户

What if the tenant removes any items prior to the seizure? 如果租户在没收之前移走任何物品怎么办？

If the tenant tries to remove any items from the premises before the sheriff arrives, or as he arrives, the sheriff is empowered to, within 30 days of such removal, follow the movement of those items and remove them from wherever the tenant has moved them. 如果租户试图在治安官到达之前或在治安官到达时将任何物品从房屋中移走，则治安官有权在移走后 30 天内跟踪这些物品的移动情况，并将其从租户移动的地方移走 。

What if a subtenant’s items were seized?如果转租人的物品被没收怎么办？

If a subtenant’s items have been inadvertently seized, they can apply to the court to have the items returned to them. 如果转租人的物品被无意中扣押，他们可以向法院申请将物品归还给他们。

In that case, the subtenant must pay the arrears of rent, and any future rent, directly to the landlord instead of to the main tenant before the court can order the items to be released to them. 在这种情况下，分租客必须直接向房东而不是主租客支付拖欠的租金和任何未来的租金，然后法院才能命令将物品归还给他们。

The application procedure for a writ of distress in Singapore can be relatively quick and easy if the person doing it knows what they’re doing. 如果申请者知道自己在做什么，在新加坡申请遇险令的程序会相对快速和容易。

But, the reality is that this is a process that dates back to 1935 and although it has been updated numerous times over the years, it is a rather complicated and technical process that is difficult to navigate without a lawyer. 但事实是，这个流程可以追溯到 1935 年，尽管多年来已经更新了多次，但这是一个相当复杂和技术性的流程，如果没有律师，很难驾驭。

Therefore, if you have a tenant who has not been paying rent, it is best to speak to a lawyer if you are thinking of applying for a writ of distress. 因此，如果您的租客没有支付租金，并且您正在考虑申请财产扣押令，最好咨询律师。