Fatal Errors: The Small Mistakes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Lien Claim

The scenario is a fairly common one: a contractor doesn't get paid, and then proceeds to register a lien on a project, only to later discover a mistake in the Statement of Lien. It could be a typo in the name of the Owner; or it could be a failure to properly identify the interest being liened. While such errors may seem small, they could put the entire lien claim in jeopardy.

This scenario was addressed recently by the Court of Queen's Bench in Encore Electric Inc. v Haves Holdings, 2017 ABQB 803. In that case, an electrical contractor was hired to perform certain electrical work in a Defendant tenant's leased space. When a dispute arose about alleged deficiencies, the Contractor registered two liens valued at approximately $686,000.