When a friend or family member is in unexpected legal trouble, you would likely do anything to help them out. One way to do that is through bail bonds, which act as bail insurance and allow someone charged with a crime to stay out of jail until their trial. Common sense and knowledge of bail bonds will tell you that the some of the best things to use as collateral (money or assets used to secure bail bonds) are fully owned homes, a fully owned vehicle, and valuable jewelry. Unfortunately, not everyone needing to secure bail bonds may have those items, so here are some other options when figuring out collateral for your bail bondsman in Angleton, TX:
- Bank account balance: Whether it’s a line of credit or a savings account, sometimes you can give bail bondsmen control over all or part of your bank account balance to secure a bail bond. Once the bail bond has been returned, you will be given back this portion of your bank account.
- Cash: Sometimes cold, hard cash is the only option, though you are often required to pay the bail bond amount in full if you want to choose this payment method. Credit cards and checks may also be accepted. One drawback to this option is that, because people often must use most or all of their available cash to secure a bail bond, they are left with insufficient funds for legal services or other expenses.
- Weapons: Guns in good condition can be worth a lot, and bail bondsmen are often willing to take them as collateral on a bail bond. Make sure your guns are legally owned before bringing them into the bail bondsman.
- Other valuable items: Just because you don’t have expensive jewelry or firearms, that doesn’t mean you don’t own something else that a bail bondsman might see as valuable. Anything you would consider bringing into a pawnshop is worth a shot when trying to secure a bail bond. That includes musical instruments, televisions, and game and entertainment systems.
- Surety bond: A surety bond involves a third party, usually an insurance agency, who agrees to pay your debt if you are unable to. In exchange, you only have to pay 10 percent of the bail bond, and as long as the defendant doesn’t skip out on their court date, you don’t have to pay the insurance company or the bail bondsman anything else.
- Land: Even if you don’t own a house, you may own some land that can be of use when negotiating a bail bond. Real estate, regardless of what type it is, is one of the most common forms of bail bond collateral.
No matter what type of collateral you use, you need to make sure you have a trustworthy and honest bail bondsman. For a fair bail bondsman in Angleton, TX that will work with you to determine the best collateral for your bail bond, come to Brazoria County Bail Bonds.