All parties who want to retain their lien rights in Arizona are required to file a preliminary notice. These notices are often called 20-day notices because they need to be sent no later than 20 days after work starts. Because companies at most levels of the payment chain have to send these notices, and potentially file amended notices as well, this means that companies doing business in Arizona have a lot of documents to create and to track. A lien and notice service provides a way for companies to do this without spending a bunch of time collecting and verifying data, creating notices, mailing them, and tracking their delivery. Here are some of the best preliminary notice services in Arizona for construction projects.
Best Preliminary Notice Services in Arizona
AZ Lien
- Website: alevelset.com
- Location: Tucson, AZ
- Year started: 1984
- Reviews:
- BBB – A+ rating, 2 complaints
- Google – 1.7 stars, 6 reviews
- Services:
- Preliminary notices
- Mechanic’s liens
- Bond claims
- Lien discharge
- Stop notices
AZ Lien has been providing lien notices and other documents since 1984. They service 28 states, including Arizona. They don’t provide much information regarding their company or their services on their website, so it is hard to determine all they provide. It is safe to assume since they are located in Arizona, that they provide all the documents necessary in that state.
The reviews on Google suggest some struggles with the CEO. With a company that has been around this long, you would expect some complaints. They have employees that have worked there for more than 15 years and clients that have been around for over 20 years. That speaks to their level of loyalty and satisfaction. Setting up an account with AZ lien has a flat fee of $50 that is, “document refundable” when you use your account. Once your account is up and running preliminary notices are $28.50 per document and the cost of a lien at $200.00.
Titan Lien
- Website: titanlien.com
- Location: Scottsdale, AZ
- Year started: 2000
- Reviews:
- BBB – C+ rating, 1 complaint
- Google – 3 stars, 6 reviews
- Services and Costs:
- Preliminary notices – $25
- Mechanic’s liens – $350
- Bond claims – $350
- Lien discharge – $50
- Lien waivers – Free
Titan Lien was purchased by Billd, a trade credit service, and provides lien document processing. They offer preliminary notices in Arizona, lien filing, and bond claims, as well as annual lien law seminars, volume discounts, and monthly billing.
Titan offers an online portal that allows you to track, view, and manage your notices and lien documents in the cloud. Its widespread accessibility is great for those who are constantly on the go, and you don’t have to worry about where you saved that preliminary notice when someone requests it.
Titan’s social media has only been active recently and they don’t have many reviews. It is hard to tell what kind of experience you will have with them based on feedback found online.
Caprenos
- Website: caprenos.com
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Year Founded: 1978
- Reviews:
- Google – 3.7 stars, 3 reviews
- BBB – A+
- Services and Costs:
- Preliminary Notice Services – $42
- Lien & Bond Claim Filing – Call for a quote
Caprenos is a preliminary notice service based in San Diego, California, that has been doing business since 1978. The company’s website hasn’t been updated recently and doesn’t provide a lot of information. However, the company’s notice service is well-established in the industry, as they have been working for contractors and suppliers for over 40 years.
Filing a preliminary notice, lien, or bond claim is as easy as completing an online form with all the project information. Caprenos verifies the information, contacting the pertinent parties to confirm names and addresses. They offer an online software system for those clients doing a lot of business with them. This allows for the tracking of notices and easier submission of data.
There are only three Google reviews available online, and other reputable, third-party reviews of the service are lacking. However, their long-standing history with the industry and large client base do attest to the level of service and satisfaction that their clients experience.
CNS AZ
- Website: cnservicesaz.com
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Year Founded: 1984
- Reviews:
- BBB – A+ rating
- Services:
- Preliminary notices
- Mechanic’s liens
- Bond claims
- Lien discharge
- Stop notices
Construction Notice Services was established in California in 1984. They now have offices in several western states, including Arizona. They are bonded and insured and believe in earning their clients’ trust with their excellent service.
As seems to be the trend, there isn’t a whole lot of information on their website. There is a summary of the required filings in Arizona, but not much detail on all that is required.
Several documents can be ordered by filling out forms that are available on their website, while for other forms you will have to contact the firm via email to make your request. There wasn’t any pricing information or mention of document tracking.
RCS Preliminary Lien Service
- Website: rcsliens.com
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Year Founded: 1991
- Reviews:
- No review sites found
- Services and Costs:
- Preliminary notices – $29
- Amended preliminary notice – $9
- Mechanic’s liens – $225
- Bond claims – $200
- Lien discharge – $25
- Stop notices – $175
RCS specializes in construction collections, preliminary notices, and liens and bond claims. They are a one-stop-shop for all your construction payment issues. They have some Arizona lien resources on their website, including a guide to the lien laws in Arizona, a basic summary of the lien laws in all 50 states, and forms to use for lien releases in Arizona.
Preliminary notice requests can be sent in via email using a form from the company’s website, or an online form can be completed. Other requests, such as liens or bond claims, require completing a form and emailing it to the service.
All information provided regarding a project is verified by RCS, and any corrections are communicated to the client. Since mistakes can lead to a loss of lien rights, this verification service is important.
BICA
- Website: bicanet.com
- Location: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Year Founded: 1903
- Reviews:
- Facebook – 1 review
- Services and Costs:
- Preliminary Notices – $19.50
- Amended preliminary notice – $25
- Lien & Bond Claim Filing – $136.50
BICA (Building Industry Credit Association) is a long-established credit and collections company based in California that has been in business since 1903. The organization is an “association” that began with a group of lumber suppliers banding together to exchange credit information about subcontractors.
When it comes to preliminary notice services, BICA claims that their key advantage is their verification process, which is detailed on their website. Since sending notices to the incorrect party doesn’t help anyone get paid and could invalidate a lien, this is an advantage to their service.
BICA’s web site provides a summary of the notice requirements for Arizona and lets you know which ones you will be required to send and when. BICA’s portal can create all the documents you need, and it will send an email reminder a few days before the deadline for each notice.
Levelset
- Website: Levelset.com
- Location: New Orleans, LA (& Austin, TX)
- Year Founded: 2007
- Reviews:
- Levelset on TrustPilot (5 Stars – 1015+ Reviews)
- Levelset on Capterra (5 Stars – 14 reviews)
- Levelset on Glassdoor (4.4 stars – 56 Reviews)
- Levelset on Comparably (96% – 4675 ratings)
- Services:
- Preliminary Notices (free)
- Amended Preliminary Notices
- Lien & Bond Claim Filing
Levelset, founded in 2007 by construction attorneys and technologists, is headquartered in New Orleans, LA, and has a large team that helps thousands of contractors and suppliers every day with the preliminary notice process, project research, and more.
You can set up an account for free on Levelset’s website and pay just for the services you need or subscribe to their full suite of services. With an account, you can file a preliminary notice in Arizona, track contractors and suppliers and their relationships, and file a lien or bond claim if needed. You can always search their robust knowledge base for answers to your questions and ask for help from experts in liens and claims with or without an account.
Notice information, such as owner and general contractor contact information, is researched by their team for accuracy, and notices are sent promptly. All of this is done behind the scenes, so you can get back to what you need to do to get the job done.
Once notices are sent, it is important to retain the delivery confirmation, so you have proof of delivery. Levelset tracks the delivery status of all notices and does further research if a document is not able to be delivered.
What does an Arizona preliminary notice service do?
When looking for a preliminary notice service to help you, there are three specific services that you should look for: research, speed, and tracking.
Research – The company should provide research services to ensure that notices are sent to the correct parties. Having incorrect information could delay delivery of a notice or even invalidate a lien claim. Research should include database research and phone calls to verify that information is correct.
Speed – If you are paying a service and find that the process is slower than doing it yourself, you have the wrong service. Using a service should expedite your process, make sure deadlines are met, and allow you to continue doing your work so you don’t have to worry about prelien notices and collection issues.
Tracking – Meeting deadlines is vitally important in maintaining lien rights in Arizona. You must send your preliminary notice within 20 days of starting work in order to preserve your lien rights for that work. Reminders of when notices need to be created and sent and tracking receipt of those notices are important to keep your lien rights intact.
How to talk to your boss about using a preliminary notice service
Management may first need to know that there are measurable benefits to sending preliminary notices. In Arizona, all parties on a job are required to send preliminary notices in order to preserve their lien rights, so preliminary notices are necessary to help ensure payment.
Levelset’s SET methodology talks about the importance of being visible on a job, whether notices are required or not. This methodology helps ensure that your company will be paid for the work or materials you provide on a job.
Companies that are seen on a job, i.e. file a preliminary notice, will be paid faster than those who do not. Owners and general contractors want to make sure projects are free from liens and bond claims, so they are motivated to pay companies who have filed preliminary notices before others. Many companies have found their payment timelines cut in half just by filing preliminary notices.
Because of the effect these notices have on payment speed, more and more companies are filing them. While in the past it may have been seen as an adversarial action to file a preliminary notice, today they are “just doing business.” Companies have a right to protect their lien rights on a project, and many are doing so.
If you have more questions about using a service for your Arizona preliminary notices, you can always contact us. Levelset will help you as much or as little as you want.
Not in Arizona? Check out our list of the 10 Best Nationwide Preliminary Notice Services.