Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Pennsylvania
how do you legally make someone pay money they owe you?
1 Answer from Attorneys
We have no real force. We do not put people in jail and PA does not have wage garnishment (assuming the debtor also resides in PA) unless this is for a debt owed to a landlord.
You could pay an attorney to send the debtor a letter by certified mail. If that does not work, take the debtor to small claims court (for debts under $8,000) and get a judgment against him or her. Once the judgment is final, you can then try and execute (collect) on it. I recommend that you get a lawyer at that point so that the execution is done correctly, but it depends on the amount of the debt owed. You can levy on any money in the debtor's bank account if it is over $300. That might get the debtor's attention if nothing else works.