I suggest you retain an attorney, but you don't have to. Then, sue for foreclosure of the assessment lien. The lawsuit should be filed in a court of general jurisdiction in the county where you live. See your county or state bar association for info. Also keep in mind that liens expire--in 8 mos. in WA--so you should act quickly to protect your interest.
Your answer depends on the nature of the HOA lien, the nature of the bank lien, the state law and the governing documents in effect for the HOA. There is no standard.
Actions such as sending collection notices, filing a lawsuit, obtaining a judgment, or initiating foreclosure proceedings against a property would likely qualify as proceedings to enforce a lien or collect a debt for unpaid HOA assessments in Maryland. Any action taken by the HOA that aims to recover unpaid assessments through legal means can be considered part of the enforcement process.
It would be improper for an HOA to file a lien if there is no legal reason to file such a document.
Best practices dictate that you work with the association attorney to prepare and file any lien on the part of an HOA. An improper lien, or an improper filing of a lien can be used by the owner to escape the action.
The lien can be reported to a credit reporting agency.
Yes. A note on the interest part--your state's law will dictate what interest, if any, you will receive. And you will assume the HOA's liability--if the lien is later declared invalid, you will be responsible for the homeowner's court costs. Make sure that it is a part of the sale of the lien that the HOA will cooperate in any foreclosure proceedings that might occur to collect the lien--without them, the homeowner will likely win.
The association counsel that filed the lien for the association can answer your question.
It is unlikely that an irrevocable trust gives the property any immunity from liens.AnswerYes. If the property is owned by an irrevocable trust the HOA can place a lien against the property and the trust. The HOA should research the trust so that the present trustees can be mentioned on the lien. Although debts are sometimes difficult to collect from a trust, the property cannot be sold or mortgaged unless the lien is paid.
In this case, apparently, the bank is the owner. So yes, the HOA can file the lien against the bank's ownership of this unit.
i may not be an expert on this, but they probably will. ask the hoa before you do it first, just to make sure.
The HOA filed a lien against your title for a reason. The reason is probably past-due assessments. This action cannot be a surprise. Liens are filed by attorneys in the local hall of records, so they become public documents. An attorney who filed the lien probably extended you the courtesy of notice of the filing. If the HOA filed a lien for a different purpose that you feel is unjustified, best practices dictate that you hire counsel to fight the lien. If you prevail, you may well be awarded attorney's fees.
Generally, the association will work with its counsel to file a lien on your property that you own within the association.