How Each Type Works
Choosing Individual or Business tells the system which records to search and how to interpret the name you provide. The two modes access different data sources and use different matching logic.
When to Add Both
In many judgment situations — especially commercial cases — you hold a judgment against both an individual owner and their company. This is common in personal guarantee situations, cases where the owner was named alongside the business, or piercing-the-corporate-veil rulings.
In these situations, add both: one entry as Individual (the person's name) and one as Business (the entity's legal name). Assets held in the person's name will be caught by the Individual search; assets held in the company's name will be caught by the Business search. Monitoring each separately costs two debtor seats but provides complete coverage.
When an Individual sweep surfaces a new business entity linked to your debtor, you'll see a "Track This Business" button on the alert card. This pre-fills a new Business debtor entry so you can add it in one click — without having to go back to the Add Debtor form manually.
Common Scenarios and What to Choose
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Individual Tenant owes back rent — judgment against "Jane Doe"The judgment is against a person. Add as Individual using her legal name and the state where she currently lives or is likely to own property.
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Business Vendor judgment against "Acme Logistics LLC"The judgment is against the entity. Add as Business using the full registered name including "LLC." Choose the state of formation or primary operations.
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Both Owner and company named as co-defendants — judgment against "John Smith AND Smith Contracting Inc."Add John Smith as Individual and Smith Contracting Inc. as Business. Monitor both — assets may turn up under either name depending on how the debtor holds them.
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Individual Sole proprietor operating as "Bob's Plumbing" with no LLCA sole proprietorship is not a separate legal entity — the owner and the business are the same person legally. Add as Individual using the owner's legal name. Property and assets will be in his personal name.
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Business LLC operating under a DBA — "Riverside Properties LLC" doing business as "SunBelt Rentals"Add as Business using the legal registered name "Riverside Properties LLC." Enter "SunBelt Rentals" in the DBA field. Public records will reflect the legal name on property deeds and entity filings.
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Both Personal guarantee — business owner signed personally on a commercial loanIf the guarantee was enforced and both the person and company were named in the judgment, add both. The individual may personally hold real estate or other assets the business search wouldn't capture.
Can I Change the Type After Adding?
The monitoring type (Individual vs. Business) cannot be changed on an existing debtor entry — the search logic is fundamentally different for each. If you added a debtor as the wrong type, the best path is to remove the existing entry and add a new one with the correct type selected.
Editable fields — name, state, optional details — can be changed at any time without removing and re-adding. See Editing a Debtor's Details for instructions.
When in doubt, add as Individual first — most judgment debtors are natural persons or sole proprietors. If the Individual sweep surfaces business entities in the debtor's name, you can track those businesses separately using the "Track This Business" shortcut on the alert card.
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