Creditors work hard to obtain judgments against debtors, but too many of them allow their judgment to expire. In Arizona, a judgment is effective for five years from the date it is entered and docketed by the Clerk of the Court. If a creditor fails to timely file a renewal affidavit, or bring an action on the judgment within five years, the judgment debtor is released from the obligation. Thus, it is imperative that creditors be aware of this statute for renewing judgments and take the necessary action to keep the judgment debtor’s liability intact.
The purpose of the renewal affidavit is to notify any interested parties of the existence of the judgment. When it comes determining the five year deadline, creditors should be aware that the date of entry of the judgment is often not the same date as when the judgment was signed by the judge.
When a creditor timely renews a judgment, it is important to have the renewal recorded in every county where the judgment debtor has real property. This allows any judgment lien against those pieces of property to remain intact.
If you have a judgment in Arizona and you need assistance with renewing it or taking collection action on it, please call the attorneys at Windtberg & Zdancewicz, PLC.
The attorneys at Windtberg & Zdancewicz, PLC, provide clients with experienced legal representation. Our attorneys handle cases from pre-litigation negotiations through litigation, obtaining and enforcing judgments to collect what our clients are owed. We are experienced in creditor’s rights including garnishments, charging orders, attachment, property execution, trustee’s sales, foreclosures, judgments, judgment collection, domestication of foreign judgments, and creditor’s issues in bankruptcy cases. If you need assistance, or are interested in learning more, please contact us at (480) 584-5660.