A debt collector is a person or company who regularly collects debts owed to others, typically when those debts are past the due date. Collection agencies and lawyers who collect debts as part of their business are debt collectors.
Some businesses also purchase due debts from other businesses, creditors or agencies and then collect those due debts from the individual or the company that owes these third parties. Debt collectors are also called debt buyers, debt collection firms, or debt collection agencies and have specific rights. But do they have to right to visit your house? Read on to find out.
Can Debt Collectors Visit Your House?
When you lag behind on your payments you probably expect to receive letters and phone calls from lenders and collection agencies. This is considered the standard process.
Debt collectors have the right to follow up on the status of our payments even if you have already informed them of your inability to pay them back or that the loan that they are mentioning isn’t yours. Dismissing or ignoring these letters may seem like a good thing to do.
However, your creditors will likely use a variety of techniques to compel you to pay your debts. One such technique is to send a debt collector to your house They will usually call or write to you first before visiting your house.
As per Federal law, a debt collector can come to your place but you aren’t required to let them inside your home. Also, a debt collector has no right to take away any belongings from your place.
They are also known as doorstep collectors or field agents. It is their responsibility to recover money owed to the company for which they work or represent. In many cases, they will agree to debt repayment in instalments if it means they have a better chance of recovering some or all of the due debt.
It is critical to know that a debt collector is not an enforcement agent or bailiff. They do not have any special legal rights. You may feel pressed to pay more than you can afford, but there is no reason to feel threatened. Debt collectors may work for your creditor or for a third-party debt collection agency but they do not have the right to threaten, blackmail or use physical force against you.
What Debt Collectors Can and Can’t Do
A debt collector has the right to:
- Come to your house.
- Request payment from you.
- Speak to you about your debt in private and try to work out a payment plan.
However, debt collectors don’t have legal permission to do any of the following:
- Threaten or intimidate you, or cause a commotion.
- Refuse to leave your property.
- Discuss your debt with your neighbors, family, or roommates.
- Pay you a visit at your workplace.
- Force their way into your house.
- Pretend to be a bailiff or enforcement agent. (This would be considered a criminal offense).
So it would be safe to say that a debt collector can visit your home. However, they are expected to behave professionally and not make you feel unsafe in any way.
A visit from a debt collector indicates that you require debt relief. Briteside Solutions can help. Visit our website or call us at (888) 851-0646 for expert debt advice on the best way to deal with debt collectors.