Can a plumber put a lien on your house if you refuse to pay when he completely botched the work and you had to hire someone to fix it right?

Answer 1

The plumber would need to sue you in court in order to get a judgment lien in his/her favor.

If you get a notification that you are being sued you should appear on the date in the summons and plead your case.

You should ask the person who re-did the work to accompany you as a witness. If that's not possible then obtain an invoice from them that lists exactly whet they did, the new charges and that the repairs done by the first plumber were substandard and needed to be repaired. You should have evidence that the second plumber is licensed in your area. Before and after photos are great evidence if you have any. A photo of the work area can be helpful if you need to explain what was done and what the problem was.

You should also have proof of what you hired the first plumber to do (a copy of the contract) and any money you paid for that work. Keep copies of any emails between you and the plumber.

If the plumber records a mechanic's lien against your property it will have a relatively short life. The plumber must take steps to obtain a formal judgment lien. As long as you don't hear from the court that a case has been filed against you then you should just collect your evidence and keep it in a file until you receive a summons. You must appear on the date set forth for the hearing. If you don't the plumber will get a default judgment and you will have lost your opportunity to fight his claim.