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
Created by the US Congress in 1965, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the agency principally responsible for federal programs relating to housing and urban ...
Survey of the maintenance requirements for a commercial or industrial rental property for the purpose of preparing a management agreement. ...
The appellant definition references a concept related to legal proceedings. The appellant is the individual who is dissatisfied with the judgment in a lawsuit and asks for a superior court ...
Written agreement between two or more parties to extend the terms of a document. ...
A notary public's guaranteeing the authenticity of a signature. ...
When you hear someone mentioning aesthetic value in connection with real estate, that person is using aesthetic value as a way to point price appreciation added to the property because of ...
A right or portion of property reserved to the grantor in a conveyance by deed. Waiver of a requirement in a lease agreement such as the landlord allowing an old tenant to have a cat or a ...
Fixed interest rate loan in which the payments are made every two weeks, but the payment is one half the amount of a regular monthly fixed-rate mortgage with the same amortization schedule. ...
In a principal gent transaction or contract where a third party knows the name of the principal the agent represents. This is a typical setting in real estate situations. In this ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.