Who Can Put A Lien On Your House?
You know what is the truest answer to “who can put a lien on your house”?
Yourself.
We’re not trying to be smart here; it’s the truth. Failing to pay up a debt is what gives way for a lien to be put on an asset like a house, so, a broad answer to who can put a lien on your house is “almost anyone”, but if you pay up everything correctly the answer becomes “no one” – doesn’t that mean that, in the end, the person responsible for putting the lien on the house is yourself.
But yes, we know what you mean by “who can put a lien on your house”. You’re not interested in knowing that the person who puts (assigns) a lien to the house is a judge either; you want some specifics of the most common people that sue and obtain a judgment lien, right?
The IRS is a big lien holder. And their lien is statutory (automatic). No need for your consent or a lawsuit; if you fail to pay a lot of taxes, they can record a lien to recuperate the value owed.
Contractors can put your house on a lien if you don’t pay in full. And here’s a scary thing: maybe you did even pay in full but the contractor skipped one payment to the subcontractors. The subcontractor can put a lien on the house even though you did your part!
Ex-spouses typically put liens on the house as a way to guarantee the money they are owed if you fail to pay for child support and alimony.
And, of course, mortgages. But this one is voluntary; you agreed to have a lien put on your house when you signed the mortgage papers – and they weren’t even fine lines…
Now that we answered who can put a lien on your house, let us say this: if you’ve passed the “who” and is wondering “how to stop a lien on your property”; get a real estate lawyer! You won’t stand a chance without it.
Popular Real Estate Questions
Popular Real Estate Glossary Terms
Outside wall of a structure that is exposed to the weather. An exterior wall can also be a load bearing wall ...
Provision in a contract that upon a certain occurrence or event the contract is canceled, An example is a contractual term that the written agreement is terminated if one of the party's ...
The accelerated cost recovery system is a depreciation system for tax purposes mandated by the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. In 1986 the Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS) was ...
A special agent in real estate is a real estate agent hired to do a specific task or job, as opposed to a general agent, who is a real estate agent who can do any task he or she is assigned ...
The company is not responsible to a third party if an account or financial instrument is dishonored by the debtor. The creditor's recourse is solely to the debtor's property. An example is ...
Expenditures incurred to initially purchase property, including incidental costs necessary to put the property into existing use and location. This cost is then depreciated over the assets ...
Funds that are retained in an account until a certain event occurs. For example, a downpayment on a contract held until full payment is received whereupon the holding funds are credited to ...
Potential homeowners buy land at a location they like and then build their house on it. ...
Property that is zoned for industrial use, including manufacturing, research and development purposes, factory office and warehouse space, and industrial parks. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.