A judgment lien is a nonconsensual lien that a court of law creates. It is a lien that attaches to your property without your agreement. When someone wins a case against you and subsequently registers the judgment on your property, this is a judgment lien on real estate.
How It’s Created
A judgment lien can only be imposed on your property if you have been sued and awarded a monetary judgment against yourself. In most places, the person or corporation awarded the judgment is required to record the judgment by submitting it with the appropriate county or state court system.
A judgment issued against you immediately generates a lien on any real estate you possess in the county where the judgment was entered in a few states. The judgment creditor does not have to record the judgment to get the judgment lien on real estate. If you have questions on whether the lien is legitimate or not, contact a company such as Mayflower Judgments.
Can a Lien Be Attached Later?
In most cases, judgment liens that have been recorded in your county will attach to property that you later buy. For example, even if you do not own any real estate, a judgment against you may be recorded in your county’s land records department.
If you acquire a piece of real estate a few years later, you’ll realize that it has been burdened by that annoying old lien that had been waiting for you to make a move all along. In most states, these liens expire after a specified number of years. However, they may usually be reissued indefinitely after that.
