When you think of bail, the first thing that comes to mind is making a payment to get somebody out of jail. While this is essentially true for bail bonds, it can be done in different ways through a professional bail bonds service
Cash Bond
The most common type of bail, cash bond follows an upfront mechanism. The state or the court determines a bail amount that needs to be paid, and the defendant is required to pay that upfront for them to be released from jail. As long as they have the payable amount in cash, they will be released from police custody.
If the defendant does not have the necessary funds to make bail themselves, they can seek assistance from a bail bond agency to make the payment on their behalf. Most departments have a cash-only policy and do not accept credit cards or checks for cash bonds, especially if they consider the defendant to be a “flight risk”. In these cases, having an agency pay the cash bond can be of immense help, particularly if the bail amount is high.
Surety Bond
When a bond agent pays on the behalf of the arrested individual, they act as a surety by assuring the court that the defendant will appear in court for their hearing. In such a case, the court then holds the bail bondsman responsible if the defendant flees before trial, and they are required to make full payment of the bail amount.
Because of the liability attached, the bond agent charges a fee for their services that is usually 10% to 15% of the actual bail amount. This is paid by the defendant who also provides collateral to the agent. This may then be used by the bondsman to recover the bail amount if the defendant fails to show up in court.
Property Bond
In a property bond, the defendant is required to give a security interest to the court in form of property, which equals the worth of the actual bail amount. The property bond is a legal way for the secured party to acquire specific property from the owner, in form of bail. If the defendant flees before their trial or does not appear for their court hearing, this property will be used as collateral.
While different types of property may be used for this type of bail bond, real estate is the most common one. The property in question is assessed thoroughly for estimating its net value before proceeding with the bond.
This can sometimes cause delay as it may take a few weeks for evaluating and agreeing upon a certain property. Moreover, the validity of property bonds varies across states so one needs to be certain about state regulations before opting for these.
Looking for a bail bonds agency in Gainesville, Florida? Get in touch with Lee Calhoun Bail Bonds to help your loved one get bail in no time! Call us at 352-379-9100 or visit our webpage to learn more about our services.