3 Things You Can Do Now to Protect Your Constitutional Rights During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has touched every single one of our lives, and we don’t have a clear end in sight. While many of us are facing real struggles and challenges right now, it’s important to bear in mind that there are several important things you can and should be doing to protect and prepare yourself for when the cavalry comes.

What You Can Do Now to Protect Yourself

Get organized – This is essential. Pull up all of your bills and everything you have to make a monthly payment on. Review your bank account statements to see what you’ve recently made payments for and create sub-folders on your computer to organize each payment category. Keeping track of what you owe, due dates, and their amounts is critical to getting organized and being able to quickly find that information later, if needed.

Alert your creditors – Call each of your creditors and tell them that you are in a difficult position. Ask for their help in any way they can. Many mortgage servicers have agreed to allow you to go into a forbearance program and not bother you for at least three months. As you talk to them, take good notes on what they are saying and see if you can get them to put it in writing.

Take a breath – While tempting to panic, the truth is there’s nothing at the moment that is going to happen to you. No one can touch you now. The courthouse is closed, process servers aren’t being sent out, and you are in financial lockdown mode. Also keep in mind that financial relief will be coming to you; just be patient. For now, focus on taking care of yourself and your family. Go for a walk, take some deep breaths, and try to relax.

While the world waits, focus on these three things that are in your control as well as staying safe and healthy. Figure out what you will and won’t be paying in the next months, and if you need legal guidance on how to best proceed, turn to our team experienced at handling foreclosure defense and debt defense at Jacobs Legal for help.