Liens are one of the most powerful collection tools available to workers in the construction industry. Mechanics Liens are inexpensive and hard-hitting, and perhaps one of the most effective ways to collect on non-paying projects.
A properly filed construction lien can affect a property’s title, entangles multiple parties to your dispute, and helps get you paid. Suppliers, prime/sub/sub-sub contractors and laborers all have the rights to lien a property they performed work on.
Bradley Coxe Hodges & Coxe, PC law firm wrote some basic information within JD Supra explaining the two broad types of a mechanics’ lien- the property or funds lien.
Property liens are the most popular and widely used in each state. The homeowner is responsible for getting the worker paid for his completed job. This, when filed and recorded correctly within the respective county or parish places a hold on the owner’s land preventing them from selling or turning over until the matter is determined by the courts.
The second type of lien is the lien on funds; which is when the payor, not the owner, is responsible to pay for the work. Whomever performed work on the property that was not contracted directly with the owner can send a notice to the owner letting them know 1- they have not been paid and 2- they should not pay whomever is in charge of getting the money (in most cases, this is the prime or general contractor) The funds that are owed to the general or prime contractor is what has been liened. If the general contractor has been paid after a notice was supplied to the owner, a sub-contractor can then lien the property.
Lien Smarter….Get Paid.