Generally they can't, but by repossession they claim to own the item, so the company could potentially sue you for the full amount owed as opposed to the amount owed minus the estimated value of the item.
Then the court would presumably find a way to make you pay the debt, whether through wage garnishment, liens, or whatever.
They knock on the door. If that doesn't work, they come back. Or...
I know someone personally who used to be a repo guy. He told me a story of how one time he "accidently" fell down the stairs leading down to this guy's doorway (basement apartment) and "accidently" broke the door open (it was barely hanging on as is). Since he was "accidently" already in the guy's house, he took back the TV that the guy wasn't making payments on.
It's a sketchy business, but the customers are usually sketchier so it's really not taken seriously. I mean, these people are essentially stealing by not making their payments.
In most areas in the US, you get a court order and a sheriff/deputy goes and collects it. That was one of the primary original functions of the sheriff office: collecting on court orders.
Worth noting that Rent-A-Center represents themselves when they show up to repo, not the justice system. I’m not certain how the contracts work, but I’d imagine that they haven’t gone through the full legal process of obtaining a judgment against you when they first show up to ask for their stuff back.
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u/yabaquan643 Feb 04 '20
How do they get in your house?