Posts Tagged ‘Lien Filing’

Caution: Lien Laws in are Hyper-Technical

In most states, the liens laws are hyper-technical.   This means that the laws have many requirements, and that courts strictly construe the rules against the party filing construction liens.

This is true for nearly every state.

While laws across the nation provide lien rights to those in the construction industry, because of the power of these instruments most states require that the liens be filed in exact accordance with the law to be valid.

This is especially the case with regard to the required contents of a lien.

Each state has different requirements for what must be stated within a mechanic’s lien, and how that information must be stated.

Every state, for example, will require the claimant to identify the property being liened.  In Louisiana, Washington, and Virginia, however, the law requires that the lien use the legal property description and not simply a municipal address.   The proper identification of property can be so important we’ve written an entire blog post about it here.

In Virginia, the laws are even stricter.   Because the Virginia lien law is land record based, the claimant is expected to perform a complete title search to acquire the exact legal owner and legal property description.   A lien that does not lien the exact owner, at the exact property for the exact amount due, can be deemed invalid by courts.

Zlien does this leg work for your company, helping your company properly prepare these important legal forms.   Our professional legal document preparers are familiar with the lien and notice forms in your state, and can help your company Lien Smarter.

Posted in:     Louisiana, Mechanics Lien, Washington  /  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,   /   1 Comment

Will the 2009 Economy Create More Mechanic Lien Filings?

At the Construction Lien Blog, we’ve written about the current state of the economy in America, and how this has affected the construction industry from coast-to-coast.

However, there is recent conversation in the media and out in the blog-o-sphere that the economy’s impact on construction has increased the amount of mechanic’s liens filed by contractors.

The Pacific Business News source in St. Louis, for example, has a story on a construction attorney in Missouri who says that he filed twice as many liens in 2008 as he did in 2007.

A similar article appears in the Virginia Lawyers Weekly, which reports that construction litigation in general is increasing in the current economy, with increased claims for construction delays, defects and problems with collections.

It seems that the business journals are full of stories about construction projects being slammed with liens, like the story here and here.

As the new year approaches, what will we see in the construction industry that is predicted to remain pretty stagnet?

One thing is for sure, regardless of whether lien filings increase, decrease or stay the same, with the current credit crunch and economic woes, it’s more important than ever to file liens on claims you do have, and to do it timely and properly.

Posted in:     Construction News  /  Tags: , , , , ,   /   9 Comments

Be Careful When Using Free Legal Forms

Gerard Simington with “FindAnAttorneyForMe.com” published an informative article that warns businesses about using free legal forms found on the internet.

The Internet has placed legal information and legal forms at our fingertips – and its easy to forget sometimes that the law is a very complicated subject, and legal forms are no exception.  While a legal form may seem simple on its face, the blanks can carry significant legal consequences.

It’s always great to hire an attorney to draft legal documents from scratch, or to “tweak” legal forms to fit your particular need.   The costs associated with legal counsel, however, are simply sometimes out of your business’ reach.

Legal Document preparation services like Express Lien are perfect for these situations.  Our staffs of professionals are familiar with the forms that relate to your construction project, and we can help you draft & file your forms properly and avoid costly mistakes.

Posted in:     Construction News  /  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   /   1 Comment

7 Habits of Contractors Who Lose Money…and How to Break Them

The Construction Commando’s “Contractor’s Secret Weapon” published an article with this title that described seven instances when contractors lose money on a project.  While the article was drafted to an audience of California contractors, the habits apply nationwide.

It will be to any contractors’ benefit to review this article online, access which habits apply to you, and make an effort to avoid the costly mistakes.  Any progress will help increase your bottom line.

The seven habits highlighted are:

1)    The “Gentlemen’s Agreement” – A Handshake and Your Word.   Bottom line:  Get it in writing.
2)    Using Contracts that Fall Short of the Legal Requirements.
3)    Not Getting Every Change Order in Writing.
4)    Failing to invoice immediately.
5)    Failing to serve a preliminary 20-day notice (pre-lien construction notices)
6)    Don’t Worry – They Will “Take Care of You” on the Next Job
7)    It isn’t good “customer service” to record a Mechanic’s Lien

Posted in:     Change Orders, Construction Contracts, Construction News, Mechanics Lien  /  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   /   Leave a comment

Credit Meltdown Squeezing Contractors – Lien To Protect Your Rights

The Associated General Contractors organization just published an article titled “Credit Meltdown Market Squeezes Contractors,” reporting how the recent economic problems in the U.S. are greatly effecting those in the construction industry.

The article discusses the upheaval on Wall Street, and how its stopping construction projects all over the country. You can read the article at the AGC website at this address: http://tinyurl.com/534o4h

Now more than ever contractors should consider the benefits of a construction or mechanics lien.

Lien rights do not last forever, and with the uncertainty of the U.S. economy and credit flow within the construction industry, its important for your construction company to protect your investment into a project.

Construction liens are available in virtually every state, and works to transform the project job site as a sort of “collateral” to the contractor for its payment.

Express Lien, Inc. is now filing liens across the country. Filing a mechanics lien costs only $295.00 – a flat fee that includes the preparation and filing of the lien, storage of the documents on our secure servers, and sending copies of the filings to all interested parties.

Express Lien also files lien cancellations, notices of intent to lien, and preliminary notices.

Ready to Get Started? Click Here.

Order your lien by phone, fax or online.

Posted in:     Construction News  /  Tags: , , ,   /   Leave a comment