Lien Law

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Introduction to Missouri Lien Law

Home owners who have contractors working on their houses should not sign a "consent of owner" statement unless they want to be liable for paying twice for the same labor or materials.

When you hire a general contractor to build a home or to do home repair or remodeling work, the general contractor becomes the middleman between you and any others who provide labor or supplies for the project.

In most cases, home owners pay their general contractors, who in turn pay their material suppliers and subcontractors.

But there have been cases in which the home owner paid the contractor in full, but the contractor failed to pay his subcontractors. The subcontractors then filed liens on the home owner's property, forcing the home owner to pay for the work or labor a second time.

However, the state's lien law protects property owners from double payment unless a consent of owner statement was signed.

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