Property liens provide a legal claim on a property if the owner does not pay a debt in full. A lien must be filed with the county’s records office, often the registry of deeds, or with the state (courts). Property liens come in two flavors: voluntary and involuntary. When an owner uses their property for collateral to secure a loan, that is a voluntary lien. When the county tax collector imposes a lien for unpaid property taxes, that is a form of involuntary lien.
Banks, credit unions, lenders, mortgage companies, contractors, tax officials, and creditors can file liens against a property if the owner does not pay the debt owed.
Types of Liens
Liens are created to protect the interest of a bank, creditor, or someone who has worked on the property without getting paid. The most common types of liens consist of:
Mortgage Liens
A bank will lend a buyer the money to purchase a house only by placing a lien on the property. If the borrower defaults on the loan, the lender can seize and sell the house at auction to get their money back.
Tax Liens
Every property owner owes annual property taxes. If they don’t pay, the local county tax official can attach a tax lien to the property, foreclose on it, and eventually sell it at auction to recoup the overdue taxes.
Mechanic’s Liens
When a contractor, architect, landscaper, etc., works on the property and the owner does not pay them for their work, they can file a lien and take the owner to court to get paid.
Judgment Liens
Creditors like credit card companies and loan originators can also file liens against homeowners to get paid. They must sue the owner in court, and if they win, they can foreclose and sell the property to get their money.
What Lien Information Can You Find with PropertyChecker?
Liens can tell you a lot about the property and owners. When you use PropertyChecker to search for liens, you can find the following vital information:
- Publication Date
- Record Last Updated
- Record Type
- Debtor Name
- Creditor Name
- Lien Amount
- Lien Instrument Number
- Lien Status
- And Much More!
Additionally, because PropertyChecker gathers information from dozens of public and private sources, you can also learn the following crucial property details:
- Loan Amounts
- Mortgages
- Loan Terms
- Rates
- Status
- Lender Information
- Associated Names
- Foreclosures
- And Much More!
Power of Property Data Under Your Fingertips
Owner Information
- Names
- Addresses
- Phone Numbers
- Emails
- Much More!
Property Values
- Sales History
- Market Value
- Equity
- Much More!
Mortgage Records
- Lenders
- Mortgage Amount
- Second Mortgage
- Much More!
Property Taxes
- Tax Bill Amount
- Assessed Value
- Tax Delinquency
- Much More!
Deeds & Liens
- Property Deeds
- Property Liens
- Foreclosures
- Much More!
Property Details
- Property Features
- Building Permits
- Parcel Info
- Much More!
Purchase History
- Sales History
- Past Sale Prices
- Sale Dates
- Transfer Types
- Much More!
Building Permits
- Dates
- Permit Types
- Business Type
- Fees, Status
- Much More!
PropertyChecker is the most affordable and efficient way to find local and nationwide property records.
Our database covers over 155 million properties in over 3,000 counties and is updated daily.