House Inspection

[Yannes Chiang]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. Hopefully you experts can help provide some ideas. The rental property was managed by a property manager and last year I took over the management- manage it by myself. The tenant is a nurse, single mom with four kids. She always pay the rent on time. No issue at all. Today I received a notice to pay from a pest control service, saying that the tenants have not paid the one year services and require the owner to cover the expenses otherwise they will file a mechanical lien on my house. I had no idea that the tenant has called for pest control services. I called the pest control company, the manager said they have called the tenants many times, but never being answered. And they have posted many notice and invoices to the door but seems they never being picked up. After hearing this, I am so worry about the condition of the house. I immediately called the tenant but she didn't answer and hence I texted her instead. I would like to schedule a inspection but she is not willing to do so. I sense something wrong behind it. What steps should I take to protect my rights? Thank you !!!

[Matt Motil]

First off, it's a mechanic's lien. Second, there are ways to preserve your lien rights as a vendor, and I'm sure they didn't do it, so you should consult with an attorney in your area if you are really concerned. Lastly, and again this would vary state to state, but for them to file a lien on the property, they most likely would have needed to have an agreement with you as the property owner, not the tenant. Here in Ohio they would be SOL and many vendors won't contract with tenants for this reason unless they have authorization from the owner.