Lien caused by renter's non-payment

[Jeffrey Coffey]

My renter hit hard times and decided the thing to do was to disappear, leaving behind several months of unpaid rent and a trashed house. That's the backstory, and here's the new twist...I just got a letter from a lawn contractor, and unbeknownst to me, my renter had hired the contractor to cut the grass, and the unpaid bills totaled $952. So the contractor filed a lien against my property. When they filed the Affidavit, they were under the mistaken impression that my renter was the owner, and they listed my renter as the owner in the Affidavit. Since then, I have talked to the contractor and explained the situation, but they are saying they want their money and are leaving the lien in place until they get it. This is in Texas. Anyone familiar with the legalities in a situation like this?

[Jeffrey Coffey]

Nicole...no, I definitely did not pay it. In a combination of emails, phone calls, and an office visit, I took a three-pronged approach: 1) An appeal to do the right thing 2) A reminder that when I prevail in court, they will likely have to cover all court and attorney fees 3) the social media fallout could be costly. Fortunately everything was handled in an adult manner with no shouting or teeth-gnashing.