PRELIMINARY NOTICES AND LIEN CLAIM SERVICES
---------GENERAL INFORMATION: PRELIMINARY NOTICES

Preliminary notice, notice to owner, notice of right to lien, materialman's notice, 20-day preliminary notice, prelien notice. All synonyms for the same thing: It is a letter to the owner of the construction project informing him that you ( a subcontractor, supplier or equipment renter) are on the job and need to get paid; that you are preserving your right to file a claim of lien.

Most states permit suppliers, contractors, equipment renters, etc. who participate in a construction project to protect their receivable by filing a claim of lien. But first, you have to comply with certain statutory requirements. One frequent requirement is that you send a preliminary notice to the property owner and/or general contractor. This notice goes by different names in different states. The deadline to send it also varies by state. But the idea is always the same. If you are not working for the property owner, you should send a preliminary notice and consider it as Step 1 in the process. It goes by certified mail.

What the notice says also varies by state. There are great resources for buying sample notices. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, try www.TheContractorsGroup.com. The Fifty State Lien/Bond Reference by Aspen Publishing is also a great tool and only $350 for an annual subscription. Another plan is to outsource the task. Levy - von Beck manages this task for clients across the U.S. and for projects from Alaska to Florida. We think outsourcing makes sense when you consider that the statutes, forms, and deadlines often change.