To what Texas property does a mechanic's and materialmen's lien attach?

A valid lien extends to the “house, building, fixtures, or improvements, the land reclaimed from overflow, or the railroad and all of its properties, and to each lot of land necessarily connected or reclaimed.”

In a city, town, or village, the lien extends to “each lot on which the house, building, or improvement is situated or on which the labor was performed.” 

For property outside of a city, town, or village, the lien extends to “not more than 50 acres on which the house, building, or improvement is situated or on which the labor was performed.” 

The lien does not extend to abutting sidewalks, streets, and utilities that are public property.  You cannot have a lien on public property.

Texas Property Code § 53.022

By Sarah F. Berry, Attorney  

If you are interested in attending a lien and bond claim workshop please contact Sarah Berry for more information.  Sarah@LPVLaw.com or (512) 472-2300.

Why is Texas mechanic's and materialman's lien process so complicated?

The Texas lien process seems a little complicated, and it is.  Why do Texas contractors have to comply with notice and filing requirements and deadlines to perfect a lien?  The lien claim process was designed to protect property owners as well as contractors.  The requirements for Texas General Contractors who have made their agreement directly with the Owner of property are less onerous than the requirements on Subcontractors who have their agreements with the General Contractor.  The rationale behind the varying requirements and deadlines is that the Owner should be given the opportunity to protect his property.

It is the Owner’s responsibility to pay the General Contractor.  There is no doubt that the Owner will know if the General Contractor has not been paid and may ultimately claim a lien.  Accordingly, the process for a General Contractor to claim a lien is not very complicated.

On the other hand, it is not the Owner’s responsibility to pay Subcontractors.  It is the General Contractor’s responsibility to pay Subcontractors according to their contracts.  Without notice, the Owner may not ever know that a Subcontractor has been hired, what the terms of their agreement with the General Contractor are, and whether or not Subcontractors have been paid by the General Contractor.  Accordingly, Subcontractors in Texas are required to provide certain notices to the Owner in order to perfect their lien rights, which is where it can get complicated.

By Sarah Berry, attorney 

Check our blog next week for the next post on mechanic's and materialmen's liens.

Our firm regularly hosts what we like to call "Texas Lien & Bond Claim 101" workshops with small groups of contractors.  If you are interested in attending a workshop please contact Sarah Berry for more information.  Sarah@LPVLaw.com or (512) 472-2300.

How will perfecting a lien claim help me collect?

Why should you go through the trouble of perfecting a lien?  There are several reasons that going through the lien claim process may be beneficial to you and your business. 

As will be discussed in later blog posts, in most situations, contractors must send out notices of their unpaid claims very early on in the process.  This is helpful for several reasons.  For one, the notices must be sent within a few months after the labor and/or materials were provided to the project, and, consequently, you aren’t allowing your AR to become seriously delinquent.  Additionally, the notices serve as a reminder that your invoice has not been paid, and sometimes a reminder may be all it takes.  Some notices must also be sent to the Owner of the property.  Once the owner becomes aware that you as a subcontractor are not being paid by the General Contractor, the Owner may intervene with the General Contractor on your behalf or retain funds from the General Contractor for your benefit.  Furthermore, timely sending out the proper notices demonstrates that you understand the lien process and are a competent and professionally run business that will have no problem perfecting and enforcing your lien rights if necessary.

If sending the required notices does not result in payment, you have set yourself up to claim a lien on the property.  Perfecting a lien claim is beneficial from a legal and negotiation standpoint.  Legally, if you have followed the proper procedure and perfected your lien, you can file suit to foreclose on the lien if necessary.

From a negotiation standpoint, you have more power when you’ve perfected a lien.  If you have perfected your lien, it will be reflected in the real property records and will put third parties on notice.  This can be helpful in several situations.  For example, if the Owner of the property would like to refinance a loan on the property or sell the property to a third party, most lenders and third parties will require a release of lien from you before proceeding with the transaction.  This could mean that the Owner or the third party buyer may offer to pay you all or some portion of your claim to release the lien.  For new construction, continued financing may be contingent upon keeping the property lien free, and if your lien claim will make financing more difficult, you may be more likely to get paid.  Additionally, many property Owners will not release retainage until the General Contractor can provide lien releases and/or affidavits that all bills have been paid, which can motivate the General Contractor to pay Subcontractors.

By SarahF. Berry, Attorney  

If you are interested in attending a lien and bond claim workshop please contact Sarah Berry for more information.  Sarah@LPVLaw.com or (512) 472-2300.

What is a lien under Texas law?

A lien is the legal claim of one person upon the property of another person to secure the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation.  In the case of mechanic’s liens, the lien is intended to secure payment for labor or materials supplied in improving, repairing or maintaining real property.

A lien may be provided for in a contract, the Texas Constitution, or by a statute.  Constitutional liens are provided for in Article 16 Section 37 of the Texas Constitution.  Statutory liens are provided for in Chapter 53 of the Texas Property Code.  The Constitution and Property Code provide similar protections to lien claimants; however, the two procedures are distinct and independent of one another.  A contractual lien is provided for in an agreement between the parties in which they agree that the contractor is secured by a right of foreclosure and sale.  Contractual liens are not discussed further in this series of blog postings.

The text of the Texas Constitution and Texas Property Code is provided online by the Texas Legislature and may be found at the following link: http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/

By Sarah F. Berry, Attorney  

If you are interested in attending a lien and bond claim workshop please contact Sarah Berry for more information.  Sarah@LPVLaw.com or (512) 472-2300.

Holding On To Default Judgments in Texas

Creditors (and other plaintiffs) may find it harder to obtain and hold on to default judgments in the State of Texas. 

A recent study of appellate cases heard in the fourteen Texas Courts of Appeal during the Sept. 2010 to Aug. 2011 time frame found that appeals from “no answer” default judgments – in other words, cases where the defendant failed to enter an answer, the plaintiff obtained a default judgment, and the defendant filed a timely appeal from that default judgment – had a reversal rate of 77%.  So, approximately three out of every four default judgments was reversed and sent back down to the trial court for further action.

The reason for these reversals varied, as one would expect, but the primary basis appeared to be defects in personal service on the defendant/debtor.  The lesson for creditors: be extra careful when obtaining service of process on debtors if you want to increase your chances of holding on to the judgment. 

Source: Liberato & Rutter, “Reasons for Reversal in the Texas Courts of Appeal,” 48 Hous. L. Rev. 993 (2012).

By: Cynthia W. Veidt 

What is a Proof of Claimin a Texas Bankruptcy?

A “proof of claim” is an official form filed by creditors in a bankruptcy case that helps the trustee determine what debts are owed and how much to pay each creditor if there are assets available for liquidation or a payment plan.

  

Filing a proof of claim does not guarantee that you will be paid!  For example, in a chapter 7 bankruptcy case, creditors are paid only if there are non-exempt assets available for the trustee to liquidate.  In many cases there are no assets.  In cases with assets, their liquidation usually does not yield enough to pay creditors in full, but creditors may receive a partial payment.

Typically, when a bankruptcy case is filed, the trustee will provide notice to creditors that the bankruptcy case has been filed, and the notice will specify the date (the “bar date”) by which a proof of claim must be filed.  An example of this notice can be found at the following link: http://www.uscourts.gov/uscourts/RulesAndPolicies/rules/BK_Forms_Current/B_009I.pdf.  Failure to file a proof of claim on time may “bar” a creditor's claim.

In the proof of claim, the creditor must set forth specific information such as its correct name and address, the amount of the debt as of the date on which the bankruptcy case was filed, and whether the claim is secured or unsecured.  Creditors should also attach copies of the documents that evidence the claim such as a promissory note, security agreement, UCC-1 financing statement, guaranty, or deed of trust.

A form proof of claim may be found at: http://www.uscourts.gov/uscourts/RulesAndPolicies/rules/BK_Forms_Current/B_010.pdf, however, some local courts have their own versions of this form.

Some larger companies with collections departments and bankruptcy specialists will file their own proof of claim.  However, if you are unfamiliar with the bankruptcy process and deadlines, the best practice is to hire an attorney to assist you in navigating through the bankruptcy case.

Article by Sarah F. Berry, Attorney

Debtors, Taxes and Bankruptcy

If you're a creditor and you wondered how taxes are handled in a bankruptcy, there is a good article on taxes and debtors in bankruptcy in the Texas Lawyer.  The link is here: http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202542728986&rss=tx&slreturn=1

How is a Promissory Note Different from a Forbearance Agreement?

Under Texas law, a promissory note “is a written unconditional promise to pay another a certain sum of money at a certain time.” (Edlund v. Bounds, 842 S.W.2d 719, 724 (Tex.App. —Dallas 1992, no writ). The time need not be a specific date, but it must be a time that will certainly arrive. For instance, a note payable on demand or “on or before” a specified date may constitute a promissory note. A promissory note is also a contract subject to the rules applicable to interpreting contracts. DeClaire v. G & B Mcintosh Family Ltd. P’ship., 260 S.W.3d 34, 44 (Tex.App.—Houston [1 Dist.] 2008, no pet.).

The difference between a promissory note and a forbearance agreement is that a forbearance agreement is an agreement not to enforce rights you already have.

A forbearance agreement is an agreement typically between a creditor and a debtor whereby the creditor agrees to forgo some legal right in return for concessions from a debtor who is in default. Swilley v. City Inv. Co., 288 S.W. 485, 486 (Tex.Civ.App.—Galveston 1926, writ ref’d) (explaining that forbearance of a legal right is sufficient consideration for a promise of guaranty). A forbearance agreement is a powerful tool for creditors who face debtors in or near default on their obligations, and often should be used in lieu of entering into a promissory note.

In a typical forbearance agreement, a creditor will agree not to sue on a balance due in exchange for certain concessions by the debtor, such as an increased interest rate, as well as various admissions that can prove invaluable to a creditor should the debtor fail to fulfill the terms of the agreement.

It may also contain the remaining balance on the indebtedness, and an admission that the debtor is in default. A creditor might also receive an increased interest rate and a waiver of various notice requirements in the event of a future default. The agreement typically will also contain a provision that allows the creditor to reassert the rights that have been forgone under the agreement should the borrower fail to make a payment, or fail to fulfill any obligation of the agreement by a certain date. If this occurs, the debtor’s signed admissions concerning the original note could prove invaluable in a lawsuit.

Prepared by Chris Patterson. Reviewed and revised by Marc L. Lippincott.

Texas Lawyer Tip: Commercially Reasonable Sale

As you are probably aware, debtors and guarantors who are pursued for a deficiency often attempt to raise every defense imaginable to attempt to avoid liability, and one of the most frequently used defense is that the diposition of the collateral following a foreclosure of personal or real property was not conducted in a commercially reasonable manner. See UCC Sections 9-625, 9-610(b) and 9-626.

As a creditor planning for avoidance of this defense, it is helpful if the secured party and these obligors, at the time requesting the loan, contract for and agree to the method of the disposition of the collateral and accept the method/manner of the sale detailed to be commercially reasonable. This is particularly helpful if the collateral being financed is unique or very large equipment, or something where it is difficult to find a buyer or a "market" for the goods.

Interesting case on Reaffirmation Agreements in Texas

Hat tip to Stephen Sather, this is an interesting case where the Texas bankruptcy court denied a reaffirmation agreement due to the hardship it placed on the debtor. The judge goes through the process of when a court will deny a reaffirmation agreement (even if debtor and creditor agree), and has some advice for Chapter 7 attorneys in practice on how to deal with debtor clients.

If you're not familiar with reaffirmation agreements in bankruptcy, basically a reaffirmation agreement under Section 524(c) is a new contract between a debtor in bankruptcy and a creditor (typically a secured creditor) wherein the debtor "reaffirms" the debt owed to the creditor in order to not have to surrender the property to the creditor with that lien interest/security interest. Typically there is an agreement on the fair market value of the property to be paid back with an agreed interest rate, and it is enforceable as a post bankruptcy debt that will not be discharged in the bankruptcy. This is usually done with vehicles used by the debtor, but it also is used to keep household property like washers and dryers, etc.

Copy of the case is here.

Austin Lawyer: "Produce the Note" Claims in Foreclosure

There have been many news reports making the rounds about ways to avoid foreclosure, and many Texas residents are believing such news reports to be a "magic bullet" to stave off foreclosure. One needs to realize that different states have different laws related to foreclosure of real estate, particularly residential real estate foreclosures, and one should not get their legal advice from such news reports.

So, what is all of this "produce the note" craze? What does it mean?

The basics of the idea is, when a debtor is desperate and their house is ready to be foreclosed upon, some lawyers (usually in other states) tell homeowners to request that the bank "produce the promissory note" related to the transaction. As many real estate lenders have acquired the promissory notes through sometimes hundreds of large portfolio transfers, often these are done electronically and the original closing paperwork gets lost in the mix, or so the theory goes. So if you need an extra two or three months to get finances back in order, so sayeth the news reports, this will provide the debtor with the time to do just this while the lender "scrambles" to find the promissory note signed at closing.

Sounds great, right? We never have to pay our mortgages again! Hooray!

Well, in Texas, as you can well imagine, it is not nearly that simple. Under Texas law, lenders hardly ever file a lawsuit to foreclose on residential real estate, choosing instead to do what's called a "non-judicial foreclosure". This is a procedure whereby notices are mailed and posted and ultimately the lender holds an auction on the courthouse steps on the First Tuesday of a month to foreclose their interest in the real estate and filing what's called a "Trustee's deed" (often a Substitute Trustee's Deed). Which means, unless the DEBTOR files a lawsuit PRIOR to the foreclosure and auction sale, there is never a time to demand that a lender "produce the note". Which means it ain't no magic bullet without litigation.

The other problem with the buy time theory is that by the time the foreclosure sale is posted, usually a lender has "accelerated" the note. Meaning, the debtor does not just owe the lender the three missed $1200 house payments. Now the debtor actually owes the lender the ENTIRE balance of the promissory note. So if a debtor waits until the foreclosure sale to try to block all of these things, they are usually not in a position to come up with the, say, $187,000 owed on the Note in order to stop foreclosure. Three months delay asking the lender to produce the note may not even matter, even if the debtor could then make all of their payments current.

Now, this is not to say that there are no ways to delay even a proper lender from foreclosing on a property. Bankruptcy filings and litigation can be used to delay foreclosure proceedings, as every lender knows. In fact, if there are legitimate reasons to believe that the lender has misapplied or failed to apply payments, or if there are other reasons to challenge the acceleration of the note (due to waiver or unlawful behavior by the lender), it is a very effective tool necessary to sort through these issues.

In such situations, a lawyer representing a homeowner, or the homeowner pro se (although this is not advised, but may be a financial reality), can seek injunctions against acceleration and foreclosure, as well as seek discovery that can be very time consuming and costly for the lender which may lead to settlement by negotiation. But they will first need to get a judge to so order prior to foreclosure in order for the note production to be relevant in most circumstances.

If there is litigation, certainly part of this process will be to determine by what authority the lender seeks to foreclose its interest, and burdens will be on the lender to prove a contract exists and they are the lawful holder of said note contract and security interest in the form of a deed of trust. When there have been hundreds of transfers, this is certainly more time consuming and difficult for a lender. Unfortunately for the "magic bullet-ers" out there, often these deeds of trusts securing the note and transfers are done in the real property records and it is simply a matter of getting the documents from the county clerk's office as certified copies. Certified copies of public records are usually automatically considered authentic under Texas Rules of Evidence 901(7) and are exempt from hearsay typically under Texas Rules of Evidence 803(14).

Also, as far as the Note goes, the lender does not need to have the original signature in pen ink to foreclose or get summary judgment. To prevail on a motion for summary judgment to enforce a promissory note, a plaintiff/lender must only establish that (1) a note exists, (2) the plaintiff/lender is the legal owner and holder of the note, (3) the defendant is the maker of the note, and (4) a certain balance is due and owing on the note. Scott v. Commercial Servs. of Perry, Inc., 121 S.W.3d 26, 29 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2003, pet. denied). If no genuine issue of material fact exists as to any of these elements, the plaintiff is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. See Tex. R. Civ. P. 166a(c). The lender can establish existence of the notes by attaching true and correct copies of the notes as exhibits to its motion and filing a sworn affidavit in verification of the copies. A photocopy of a promissory note, attached to an affidavit in which the affiant swears that the photocopy is a true and correct copy of the original note, is proper summary judgment proof which establishes the existence of the note. Johnson, 610 S.W.2d 143; Town N. Nat'l Bank v. Broaddus, 569 S.W.2d 489, 490 (Tex. 1978); Blankenship v. Robins, 899 S.W.2d 236, 238 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1994, no writ). If the documents show that the plaintiff is the legal owner of the note and that a balance is owed, then the debtor must raise a fact issue as to one of the elements, and must do so by sworn testimony (and verified pleadings).

It is our guess that the lawyers discussing the "produce the note" claims do not practice in Texas. If you are an Austin or Texas lender with a "produce the note" debtor, give us a call at 512-472-2300.

Texas Foreclosure Procedures

In order to set up a non-judicial foreclosure, the lender must do several things in order to have the ability to foreclosure their security interest, or what we call a Deed of Trust. First, the loan papers (or "documentation") must include an obligation to pay (usually called a Note, Real Estate Lien Note, Promissory Note, or Note with Vendor's Lien) and should also include the security agreement (usually referred to as a Deed of Trust). The Deed of Trust gives the lender the right to "foreclose" its security interest if the Obligor fails to pay. The Deed of Trust should appoint a "trustee" and must contain a "power of sale." The Deed of Trust should also give the lender the right to designate "Substitute Trustee." In Texas, the foreclosure is usually by way of a "non-judicial" foreclosure, or by way of the posting of the property for sale on the first Tuesday of the month.

The following steps contain the basic procedures that the lender must go through in order to get to the point where they may foreclose the lien:

1) Demand for Payment - once the Obligor defaults in the making of one or more payments, the lender must give notice of the default and demand the overdue payment or payments.

2) Notice of Intention to Accelerate - prior to being able to foreclose its lien, the lender must give notice of intention to accelerate. The Notice of Intention to Accelerate is usually combined with a demand for payment. The notice should give at least ten (10) days within which the Obligor can cure the default. If the property is the Obligor's "residence," then the Notice of Intention to Accelerate should give the Obligor at least twenty (20) days notice. After the appropriate time period has expired, then the lender is free to "post" the property for a non-judicial foreclosure.

3) Notice of Foreclosure - assuming that the Lender has a valid Deed of Trust and that the lender has appropriately moved to foreclose through the designated trustee or its "substitute" trustee, then after the expiration of time on the Notice of Intention to Accelerate, the lender can "post" the property for foreclosure. This is done with the giving of Notice of Foreclosure. The Notice must be posted at the Courthouse and must be send via Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested to the last known address of the debtor. Because only the sending of the certified mail is required, it does no good to attempt to refuse delivery. You are only denying yourself the information contained in the Foreclosure Notice. The Notice must give the debtor at least 21 days notice of the foreclosure, and must inform the debtor of the time, date, and place of the foreclosure sale. Foreclosure sales take place at the location designated by the Commissioner's Court for each County in which the property (or any part of the property if the property is located in more than one County) is located.

4) Posting of the Property - the Notice of Foreclosure should then be "posted" at the designated location where notices are given at the County Courthouse (or other designated location). The Notice should be posted for the full twenty one (21) days prior to the sale and must be filed with the County Clerk's office.

5) Foreclosure Sale - The foreclosure sale should take place on the designated date between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., that date being the first Tuesday of the month of the foreclosure sale. The sale must begin within three (3) hours of the time stated in the notice of foreclosure. At the foreclosure sale, the trustee or substitute trustee must "strike off" or sell the property to the highest bidder. The trustee is not required to sell the property for any particular price. For this reason, if your property is being foreclosed upon you should at least attend the sale.

6) Substitute Trustees / Trustee's Deed - the final step in the process is for the Trustee (or Substitute Trustee if one was appointed) to prepare and file a Trustee's or Substitute Trustee's Deed to reflect that the property was sold. The Deed will then transfer title of the property to the purchaser or back to the lender, as the case may be. You should check the Deed to be sure that it accurately reflects what happened at the foreclosure sale.

Due to the complexity of these proceedings and the possibility of many pitfalls (or loopholes as many call them), if you have questions about the validity of any foreclosure sale, you should seek the advice of an attorney who is experienced in foreclosure litigation and foreclosure sales.