Precautionary Attachment

A precautionary attachment is a court order freezing a debtor's assets — bank accounts, vehicles, shares, real estate — before or during a lawsuit, so the assets cannot be moved or hidden while the case is decided. The creditor applies, usually without notice to the debtor, showing a serious claim and a real risk that the debtor will dissipate assets; the court may require supporting documents and then orders the freeze, after which the creditor must file or continue the substantive case within the statutory period to confirm the attachment. It matters because a judgment against an empty company is worthless: attaching assets early is often what makes a debt claim collectable and frequently triggers settlement. You meet it in debt recovery, bounced cheque claims, and commercial disputes — either as the creditor seeking leverage or as a debtor whose accounts are suddenly frozen.