Managing Pre-Liens

Last Revised:  August 25, 2011

The instructions below provide instructions for the processes that must be taken and notices that must be sent before a lien can actually be assessed. These are called 'pre-liens'. The instructions include how to create a pre-lien, change dates, and print notices and reports.

 

To add a new pre-lien:

  1. From the Main Menu, select Products, then Special Liens.  
  2. If you are coming from another screen with an account that already has at least one lien, the Lien Search screen will appear, with the account's liens populated there.

If you are coming from another screen with an account that does not have a lien, the Lien Master screen will appear.

If you do not have an account yet, the Lien Search screen will appear. To search for an existing lien on this screen:

  1. If you are still on the Lien Search screen, click the Lien Master tab.
  2. Press F6 (Insert). The cursor will move to a blank row. Alternatively, you could click in a blank row in the Work Date field.

Preliminary Notices

  1. Click the Print Liens button on the Lien Master screen.  
  2. In the Lien Print window, check the Lien Preliminary Notice checkbox.
  1. On the Lien Master screen, click in the row containing the lien information (there may be more than one).
  2. Click the Lien Notices button at the top of the screen. Information about each letter printed for this pre-lien will be shown here. The Expire Date can be changed if needed.

Reports of pre-lien activity

  1. At any time while you are working with pre-liens, you can generate a report that lists which pre-liens are eligible for preliminary notices, certified notices, work statements, or lien affidavits.

Expiring pre-liens

  1. If a pre-lien has been entered in error, you can expire it to prevent further notices from being sent. To do so,

Another way to prevent notices from being printed for a specific pre-lien is to inactivate it, which you can do if you have printed at least one notice.

Certified Notices

  1. If the expiration date has passed and the taxpayer has yet to do the requested work, a certified notice can be sent. Click the Print Liens button on the Lien Master screen.
  2. In the Lien Print window, check the Lien Certified Notice box.

Work Activity

  1. If the expiration date on the certified notice has passed, the work may be done by your employees or someone contracted by your office. If so, the work activity can be entered in the lien system. Click the Lien Work button at the top of the screen.

Work Statements

  1. To print a bill for the taxpayer, click Print Liens on the Lien Master tab.
  2. In the Lien Print window, check the Lien Work Statement notice.
  1. After a work statement has been printed, two receivables are created. One, for a tax unit in the 5000 range, is for the work amount due, while the other, a tax unit in the 5050 range, is for a 25% administrative fee. To see these receivables, select Receivable in the Go To list at the top right of the screen. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to move from one receivable to the other. The due date for each is 02/01/2090. The Receipt No. on the Receivable is the Lien ID number (without the initial letter). If you have work activity on more than one lien, additional receivables are created (instead of increasing the amounts on the first set of receivables created), each with the lien ID being the receipt no.
  2. To return to the Lien Master screen, select Special Liens in the Go To list, then click the Lien Master tab.

The Amount given on the Lien Master screen is the sum of the work amount due and the administrative fee (the sum of the two receivables).

Payments

At this point, payments can be accepted for the amount due. For instructions on taking payments, see Processing Advanced Payments.

  1. If payment is received in full before the expiration date, you can expire the pre-lien to prevent further notices from being sent. To do so, see the Expiring Pre-Liens step above.

Lien Affidavits

  1. If payment in full is not received for the pre-lien before the expiration date on the work statement, a lien can be filed. To do this,
  1. To print an affidavit of lien,click Print Liens on the Lien Master tab.
  2. In the Lien Print window, check the Lien Affidavit notice.
  1. To continue working with liens, see Adding Liens and Contacts or Updating Liens

Reprinting Notices

  1. Return to the Lien Master screen.
  2. Click the Lien Notices button.
  3. Click the asterisk (*) next to the row containing the notice you want to reprint. The letter will print on your local printer.