When you co-sign for someone’s bail bond, you are essentially vouching for their character and pledging to be financially responsible for their release from jail. This is a major commitment, so make sure you know all the facts before you decide to co-sign!
What does it mean to co-sign for someone’s bail bond? When you co-sign, you are promising to be financially responsible for the person if they do not show up for their court dates or if they violate the terms of their bail agreement. You are also vouching for their character, which means that if they do not appear in court or violate the terms of their bail agreement, you could be held liable.
So before deciding whether or not to become a bail bond co-signer, make sure you understand all the risks involved!
Co-Signers Responsibilities
As a co-signer, you are responsible for the defendant and the amount of the bail. Becoming a co-signer means you are signing a contract as the liable party for the defendant. If there is more than one co-signer, both are responsible. You will have two main responsibilities.
First, you will be responsible for getting your loved one to court at the scheduled time. If they fail to show up, the courts or bail bondsman will be seeking you to pay the bail amount, so it’s in your best interest to ensure this doesn’t happen.
The second responsibility is paying the bond premium. This is a percentage of the full bail amount, which the bail bondsman charges for the service of fronting the bail money for the defendant. This must be paid, or a payment arrangement made, prior to the bail being posted.
It’s also important to point out that if the defendant does skip bail, the bail bondsman may charge a recovery fee in order to find them and return them to jail. This fee may fall to you as the co-signer.
Rights of the Bail Bond Co-Signer
For starters, you have the right not to be co-signer. You should only enter a legal agreement such as this if you fully understand that you will be responsible to pay for the full amount of the bail bond if the defendant doesn’t show up to court or if they violate a condition of their bail.
You’ll also have the right to revoke the bail bond once you have co-signed. If you feel as though the defendant will not appear in court, you can get in touch with the bail bondsman or courts and advise them of your concern and your desire to terminate the agreement. This means the defendant will be taken back to jail until their court hearing and the agreement is canceled.
Call us today for more information on bail bonds and the responsibilities of a co-signer.