Personal Property Registry - Purpose and Content

Personal Property Registry forms part of The Property Registry, Special Operating Agency of the Province of Manitoba. Select "About Us" above for more information. The Personal Property Registry provides public notice of security interests (liens) in collateral (personal property) of debtors by secured parties. Secured parties are typically financial institutions such as banks or credit unions, but they can also be individuals. Similarly, debtors may also be businesses, companies or individuals.

By "personal property", we mean all movable goods and possessions, not land or buildings. The Registry keeps records of all personal property registered as security for a loan, or collateral in Manitoba. Both consumers and moneylenders can check for indebtedness or liens against personal property before buying it or accepting it as collateral. Within the Personal Property Registry, collateral is divided into two categories: serial numbered goods (such as boats, aircraft, mobile homes, motor vehicles, outboard motors, and trailers); and general collateral goods (such as furniture, the assets of a company, crops, fixtures or the rights to a patent).

Creditors register their financial interest in personal property pledged as collateral. For example, a bank lending you money to buy a car registers a notice in the Registry that it has a security interest in the car. This security interest ensures payment of the bank's loan. A person wanting to buy a used car in a private sale can check the Registry to see if a security interest is recorded against the serial number.