Doing a lien search is necessary when buying a home or property in Florida. Liens are legal claims against a property for unpaid debts or obligations. If the current owner hasn’t paid what they owe, those liens get passed to the new owner after the sale.
Read on for some tips to efficiently search for any existing liens on a Florida property.
Leverage Online Records
In the past, lien searches required tons of manual effort, scouring physical records at county offices. Today, many record keepers have digitized their records for online access.
Tap into these online portals as much as possible when investigating Florida liens. Their websites allow you to rapidly search by criteria like owner name, property address, or parcel ID number.
The IRS and Florida Department of Revenue also maintain searchable databases for tax liens at the federal and state levels.
Cast a Wider Search Net
Another shortcut is expanding your search parameters beyond just the core property’s county. Liens get filed across multiple regions in some cases, especially for owners with properties or assets spanning various locations.
When searching online portals, enable options to check neighboring counties besides the main area where the property resides. This simple tweak can surface relevant lien records that may have otherwise been missed.
Verify Open and Closed Liens
As you comb through the results, note both open and satisfied liens on properties. Any matches showing an open lien are red flags requiring further investigation.
However, you’ll also frequently come across liens that were previously filed but have corresponding release of lien documents posted. These signify the debt was paid off or resolved, so those closed liens pose no current risk.
Organizing your findings into separate rosters of open and closed items keeps everything sorted and crystal clear. That way, you can quickly determine which active liens create an issue versus those already handled.
Monitor for Ongoing Matches
Did your search turn up with no existing liens for now? But what about new ones filed after your report date? Keep looking for ongoing matches until the final property closing.
Many county recorders now provide automatic lien monitoring services. You enter criteria like the seller’s name or property details, and the system sends alerts any time a new lien record matching those parameters gets posted.
Schedule monitoring until your closing finishes. This simple safeguard could save you from unexpected, last-minute surprises that are difficult to resolve after the ink has dried.
Consider Title Search Services
For complex situations, outsourcing the property lien search Florida process to professional title search companies takes a major load off your plate. Experienced title search firms efficiently coordinate checks across all relevant jurisdiction databases, from local to state to federal.
Their comprehensive lien search reports consolidate everything into a single document, including release verifications and open lien amount totals. This saves you from having to juggle multiple sources.
Furthermore, reputable title search providers offer ongoing monitoring bundled into their services. The staff ensures no new liens slip through the cracks while your purchase is pending.
Trust our team at Florida Lien Search for accurate and comprehensive lien verifications. Contact us today to learn more about how our professional lien search services can help you confidently close your real estate deals without unnecessary delays.