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
A public officer given the right to authenticate a document, accept a person's oath, administer depositions, and to conduct other activities in commercial business. An official seal is used ...
Statement made verbally. It is better legally to have a written statement because verbal ones without witnesses may be denied. ...
Same as term yield: The income earned on an investment, typically stated as a percentage of the market price ...
Reconsideration of the value of real property. An example is getting property appraised each year to determine its current value for tax or purposes of determining whether to sell ...
Giving of a promise or guarantee to the receiver to instill confidence. ...
Amount of money paid for some form of property. In real estate, the price paid for property is usually the market price; however, in the case of a forced sale, as in a foreclosure sale, the ...
Amount of money that must be charged or invested in the initial stage of a business transaction to demonstrate good faith as well as to help offset some expenses. For example, the customary ...
Refurbishing or rebuilding a property, such as a house, back to its original or earlier condition. ...
The units are used as commercial offices. The purchaser of an office condominium owns the title to the individual office unit and not to the property. Maintenance fees are assessed to each ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.