how would a person find out if there's a lien against rental home?

[grasswire]

Our home is in mortgage default because the landlady has not been paying the mortgage payments because (she says) she's withholding them to force the lender to recalculate the loan.

I'm checking up on things she says, these days. I wonder if there are any liens against the property and whether she has paid property taxes, capital improvements, etc. I'd like to see how upside down she might be.

Do I have to go to the county courthouse to find out about liens or taxes?

[Barack_America]

1. You might be able to find this info. on your county's website. nt

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

2. Check out where ever your county's registry of deeds is.

They should be able to let you know.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

3. County Deed Records

Hopefully online, otherwise you will need to research in person. You can run your landlady's name through the grantor/grantee index. She would be the grantor on any deed of trust, which is what establishes a mortgage against the property, and you can then check and see if the lienholder has ever filed a release.

It may be better to contact a title company and ask them to research the records, and pay them for their time.

[WVRICK13]

4. County Clerks Office, Deeds Division

you will find a lot of rental properties have liens against them because most people use the rent to pay for their investment. The most telling thing is the age of the lien. The older the lien the safer you are since most people hate to lose equity and your rent is probably making the payment plus a positive cash flow.