Can A Lien Be Placed On My Commercial Property Without Me Knowing?

05/26/2026 09:32 AM Mark Goodman

We’re in the business of helping people buy and sell the commercial properties, and one aspect of ensuring a transaction goes smoothly is searching for liens associated with a property ahead of closing. A lien is a legal claim against a property for an unpaid debt, and they come in many forms. If you didn’t pay a contractor who performed work on your property, if you failed to pay your property taxes or your mortgage as required, or if a judgment was made against you in court, a lien may be placed on your commercial property.

Most people want to avoid triggering a property lien and assume they would be aware of any liens against their property, so is it actually possible a lien could be filed against your property without you knowing? We answer that question in today’s blog.

Hidden Liens On Commercial Property

Every so often when we’re investigating a property’s title during the due diligence stage of a commercial sale, we discover a lien associated with the property. We discover liens all the time, but in most instances, the owner is aware of the lien and may even be knowingly selling the property as a way to settle the outstanding debt. In rare cases, the seller has no idea that the lien exists.

Although it’s uncommon, it’s certainly possible that a lien was placed on your property without your knowledge. Judgement liens can be placed without your presence in a courtroom, and clerical errors and missing e-mail information mean that correspondence from official parties can go unread by the homeowner. Even if you did settle a debt like a mechanic’s lien, you’ll want to keep a record of this payment or secure some form of receipt or confirmation from the company showing that the debt has been settled so that the lien falls off the title.

Simply put, there are many different reasons why a lien may exist on your property without your knowledge. If this happens, you’ll want to research the lien and determine if it is valid or worth contesting. You may have options to have the debt settled through title insurance, by negotiating a settlement or by agreeing to settle up the debt with proceeds from the sale. The debt either needs to be settled or an agreement needs to be reached in order for a clean title transfer. We want your purchase or sale to go through as intended, which is why we work to discover these liens and ensure they are managed so they don’t become a threat to the transaction.

If you want to investigate a property to see if there are any liens associated with the property prior to closing, let us be your guide. Connect with the team at Commercial Partners today and let us ensure your next commercial purchase goes as planned. Give us a call today at (612) 337-2470.