Legal Definitions - distress

Distress is a legal term that means taking someone's personal property to pay off a debt they owe. This can happen if someone owes rent, taxes, fines, or money for goods or services. In the past, people could take property without going through a legal process, but now most states have laws that regulate how distress can be carried out.

For example, in Kentucky, distress means taking someone's property to satisfy a past due rent claim. In New Jersey, it is a common law right of a landlord to seize a tenant's goods and chattels in a nonjudicial proceeding to satisfy an arrears of rent.

These examples show that distress is a way for landlords to get the money they are owed by taking a tenant's property. However, there are laws that regulate how this can be done to protect tenants from unfair treatment.

Another example of distress could be if someone owes money for a car loan and the lender takes the car as collateral. This is a legal way to get the money owed, but there are rules that must be followed to ensure the process is fair.