What To Do If You Can't Pay Your Bond Bill
Posted on: 7 November 2016
If you have a bail bond and have been making payments, but now you see a month coming up when you might not be able to pay, you have to take action immediately. Not paying your bond repayments can result in you being arrested and having additional civil actions filed against you. If you think you're going to have problems paying, take these steps to try to solve your situation.
Contact the Bondsman Immediately
Don't hide! You're not the only one who has ever had to deal with this. If you don't contact the bondsman and simply don't pay the bill, the bondsman has no choice but to assume you're skipping out. But if you contact the bondsman, it might be possible to work out a deal. There are no guarantees. But you stand a better chance of getting a grace period or working out a temporary agreement if you talk to the bondsman now instead of later or never.
Warn Your Friends
Did a friend or family member help you get the bail bond? If so, contact them immediately. If they helped you and signed forms, that's like co-signing for your bail bond. If you can't pay, the bondsman will contact them. So after you talk to the bail bondsman, contact the friend or family member whose name is also on the bond agreement. If they are in a situation where they might not be able to pay, either, that could get them into trouble that they never, ever asked for.
Contact Your Lawyer
If you have a lawyer defending you, call them as well. If things go wrong and you have to return to jail, your lawyer needs to know ahead of time so he or she can prepare any paperwork or deal with the situation in another manner.
Don't Flee
Bail bondsmen don't have to follow the normal channels of arrest and location that police do. Bondsmen can arrest you without a warrant and even set bounty hunters on your tail. That is much worse than just calling the bondsman's office in the first place and asking what to do.
Bondsmen have to follow strict repayment rules, lest their bondees suddenly take off and not pay at all. However, that doesn't mean they can't work with you to somehow get you past your problems paying. Contact them immediately if you foresee a problem to avoid potential re-arrest and other actions. For more information, contact a bail bond service like Yusef Odeh Bail Bonds.
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