The Benefits of a Municipal Lien Search

The word “municipal” is defined as “relating to a city or town or its governing body.” The word “lien” is defined as “a right to keep possession of property belonging to another person until a debt owed by that person is discharged.” So what’s a “municipal lien?”

When a municipal lien exists, that means a municipal corporation has placed a lien against a property owner for the owner’s proportional share of a public improvement that specifically and individually benefits the owner.

If and when you’re buying property, you should conduct a municipal lien search, which will then help you discover any unrecorded municipal liens on that property, as well as code violations, special assessments, and/or permit issues associated with said property. Municipal liens apply to both residential and commercial real estate.

Why do a municipal lien search these days? Well, it’s important to know if there are any unknown/undisclosed fees you’ll owe after you buy and close on a property. The search can also help you comply with contractual terms in order to avoid a default. If you have the search performed before you sign on the dotted line, then you can ask the seller to pay off the incurred debt or debts– such as unpaid utility balances. Furthermore, if there’s something that “needs to be done” related to the municipality the property is in, and it’s going to cost a lot of money, having the search done can save you the time, money and energy on having to comply once you take ownership of said property– in other words, make the seller deal with the issues/costs– not you!

Are municipal lien searches part of a normal title search? In general, no they are not. That said, have the search done in order to help title agents in removing the standard exception for special assessments, service charges and waste fees from the title insurance policy. Doing so leads to better insurable coverage.

When looking for a company to perform the municipal lien search, choose one that’s insured, understands local government, and can do the job quickly and affordably.

Choose Reliable Lien Search of Cooper City, Florida, to do your Florida-related municipal lien search and give you a handy one-page report — see this page for details: https://www.reliableliensearch.com/lien-searches/municipal-lien-search

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