3,785. For Whom May a Prozbul Be Written?

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 9:19

A prozbul can only be written when the borrower owns real estate. If the borrower doesn’t own real estate, the lender should assign the borrower even the smallest piece of land from his field, just big enough to grow a cabbage stalk. A prozbul may be written even if he just lends him a place to put an oven or a stove. If the borrower owns a field that was used as collateral, a prozbul may be written based on it.

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 9:20

A prozbul may be written for a debtor based on his wife’s real estate, or for a debt owed by orphans based on their guardian’s real estate. If the borrower doesn’t own real estate but his co-signer does, a prozbul may be written because of it. If a debtor is owed money by a third party and that third party has real estate, a prozbul may be written on that basis because the first debtor has a lien on it.