chase a debtor to pay what is owed to a creditor, but they cannot levy distress. Debt collectors are not allowed to pretend to be a bailiff. Debtors can also check the register of certificated bailiffs if they are unsure about whether a bailiff is certificated or not. United States Distraint was adopted into the United States common law from England, and it has recently been challenged as a possible violation of due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. In decisions like Luria Bros. and Co. v. Allen, 672 F.2d 347 (3d Cir. 1982), however, the courts have upheld the rule because, as a landlord's self-help remedy, distraint involves no state action and thus cannot violate due process rights. In the case of distraint by the federal government for collection of taxes, the power of administrative levy by distraint (distress) dates back to the year 1791, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. Sweden In Sweden, distraint () is performed by the Swedish Enforcement Authority. Bank assets and similar are taken first, but if needed the Enforcement Authority can visit people's homes, assisted by the police. Goods needed for an acceptable standard of living are protected, like clothes, TV-sets and stoves. Protected items that are expensive can be replaced with cheaper, and excess items can be taken. Goods found in the home, but belonging to others, e.g. to the girlfriend, can also be taken unless it is proven who it belongs to. Homes can be forcibly sold (), and everyone living there might be evicted. See also Attachment (law) Collection agency Foreclosure Quia Emptores Repossession Self-help (law) Sequestration (law) Tax levies Warrant sale Notes External links Judicial remedies Landlord–tenant law