Okuzeka
Real Estate vocabulary · Contracts, Deeds & Title

Lien

Meaning in real estate, with examples

/liːn/nounAdvanced term

In real estate, lien means: A legal claim on a property by someone who is owed money, such as a lender, a tax office or a builder, which usually has to be paid off before the property is sold.

In Turkish: şerh, rehin hakkı, haciz

How it is used

Common in US title work. A title search shows any liens, and the property usually cannot be sold with clear title until they are released. Types include mortgage liens, tax liens and mechanic's liens from unpaid contractors.

Example sentences

  1. There's a tax lien on the property that must be paid before closing.

  2. The builder put a lien on the house after his invoice went unpaid.

Common collocations

  • place a lien
  • release a lien
  • tax lien
  • lien on the property
  • free of liens
  • titleThe legal right to own a property, together with the records that show who the owner is and whether anyone else has a claim on it.
  • land registryThe government office or database that records who owns land and buildings, together with any mortgages or rights attached to them.
  • foreclosureThe legal process in which a lender takes back and sells a property because the borrower has stopped making the mortgage payments.
  • mortgageA long-term loan used to buy a property, in which the property itself serves as security for the lender until the loan is paid back.

More terms: Contracts, Deeds & Title

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