Co-Signing for a Loved One’s Bail
One of the worst middle of the night calls you’ll ever get is a loved one telling you that they’ve been arrested. There usually isn’t much you can do after the initial call. Soon your loved one will find out how much their bail is and will likely call you again.
In many cases, the bail is a small enough amount that you’re able to come up with the money on your own, but sometimes it’s just too much for you or your loved one to handle. If your incarcerated loved one decides to contact Bail Bond Store in Hanford and request that they help with bail, there’s a chance you’ll be asked to co-sign.
Is a Bail Co-Signer Necessary?
Just because your loved one has contacted Bail Bond Store in Hanford it doesn’t mean that you’ll have to co-sign. One of the reasons we’ve become the best bail bonds business in California is because we don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to bail bonds. When we are contacted, we dig deep into your loved one’s history. Based on what we find we decide if:
- We’ll let them make payments
- If they get a discount
- If they need a co-signer
If You Have to Co-Sign for Bail
If you do have to co-sign for your loved one’s bail, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you’re co-signing for the entire amount of the bail and not just for the ten percent we’ll keep after your loved one’s case.
If your loved one fails to make one of their court appearances, you’ll be responsible for reimbursing the entire amount of the bail to us.
If you decide to co-sign for your loved one’s bail, keep in mind that you’ll likely be using some tangible property, such as a home, car, or jewelry as collateral. If your loved one fails to appear in court, we’ll take the items.
Because you have a vested interest in the case, you do have some rights. For example, if something happens to shake your faith in your loved one and you suddenly decide that they’re not going to show up for a court date, you can contact us and we’ll see that their bail is revoked and they will be arrested.
At the end of the day, only you can decide if your loved one will be a flight risk. If you’re confident that they’ll behave themselves and make their court dates, agreeing to co-sign for their bail is an excellent way to develop a closer relationship and also gain their loyalty.