Scouring the Internet one night I came across this article from Remodeling magazine published in 2010: Lien Times: Use Liens Sparingly and Carefully. Warning that “the lien conversation throws the relationship into chaos,” the author advises contractors to think long and hard before filing a mechanics lien, and then recommends a small claims court suit instead:
A small claims court case may be a more efficient and cost-effective method of collection than the lien process for some contractors.
I couldn’t disagree with the author more. (article continues below – please read on)
Small Claims Court Is No More Friendly Than A Lien
It’s funny how the author talks about a mechanics lien as “throwing the relationship into chaos” but then recommends filing a small claims court action as if the two are so different in terms of preserving a relationship.
The logic is missing here. If you’re in a small claims suit with your customer, your customer is going to be just as upset at you as they would be in a lien action. The only difference is that in a lien action you’ll have security to get paid, and in a small claims action you want.
The First Rule of Small Claims Court Is That There Are No Rules
Small claims court is great because it’s cheap, it’s quick, and it usually doesn’t require lawyers. Here is something you may be overlooking, however: there usually aren’t any rules.
The lack of rules is good to a degree, as it enables the process to be quick, cheap and easy. The problem is if you’re on the losing side of the case because you’ll be unable to appeal the decision and the decision may be based on the judge’s feelings as opposed to the hard facts.
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Everyone who walks in small claims court thinks they are right. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen a contractor or supplier’s real, provable debt get tossed in small claims court because the property owner had a better sob story.
Fact Is That Mechanics Lien Usually Offers Fast Payment of Debt
There are certainly scenarios when a mechanics lien does not get you paid immediately and you’re stuck having to proceed to have the lien enforced. That happens. It’s much more likely, however, that your mechanics lien claim will prompt one of the other project participants or the property owner to arrange for your payment, and to do it quickly.
When this happens, you get paid quicker and with less effort than you would with a small claims court action. When this doesn’t happen, you at least have security you can enforce. And that’s almost always better than a small claims court judgment.
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