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
individual who purchases property for another for the purpose of not identifying to the seller and other interested parties the real identity of the true acquirer. The individual who makes ...
An deir to an individual who died intestate and is entitled, under the distribution statute, to a portion of its proceeds. After all claims against the estate are satisfied, the ...
Fence constructed at the property line or other division point separating a subdivision or a home site. It marks the point of separation between two separate properties. ...
Rate of return of capital invested in building improvements. Is segregated from land investments and provides a method of separating property income streams between improvement and land ...
Fee charged by a public registry for the administrative costs of recording an instrument. For example, a municipal registry charges $30 to record a property mortgage. ...
Amount the taxpayer gets back when he or she files the tax return at the end of the reporting year because taxes were overpaid for that year. The tax overpayment equals the tax payments ...
Provision in a mortgage permitting the owner of property to transfer the mortgage to a buyer. ...
The seller disclosure is a statement made in good faith regarding the condition of the home he/she is trying to sell. There is a seller disclosure form – called “Form 17” ...
Registered real estate broker who charge a flat fee, rather than a commission, for real estate purchase and sale transactions regardless of the property's sale price. No fee is charge if ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.