{"id":896872,"date":"2019-12-19T12:16:04","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T19:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=896872"},"modified":"2019-12-19T12:16:11","modified_gmt":"2019-12-19T19:16:11","slug":"want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>John Lande | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dickinsonlaw.com\/blogs-articles\/2019\/12\/10\/want-to-foreclose-a-mechanics-lien-get-your-invoices-straight\">Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler &amp; Hagen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Construction disputes can be complicated. There are often disputes between the parties about the quality of work and the amount that is due. Many contractors rely on mechanics\u2019 liens as leverage to try to get their final payment. A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests that contractors need to get their facts straight before they try to enforce a mechanics\u2019 lien.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Olmstead Construction, Inc. v. Otter Creek Investments, LLC<\/em>&nbsp;began as so many construction disputes do. The owner, Otter Creek Investments (\u201cOtter Creek\u201d), hired Olmstead Construction (\u201cOlmstead\u201d) to build a convenience store. The parties entered into a cost-plus contract, which required Otter Creek to pay Olmstead the actual costs of construction plus seven percent. A dispute arose at the end of the project between Otter Creek and Olmstead over the final amount due. In February 2016, Olmstead sent Otter Creek three different invoices that showed three different amounts due. In March 2016, Olmstead sent a final invoice with a fourth final amount due. Otter Creek requested backup support for the charges, but never received it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, Olmstead filed a mechanics\u2019 lien and initiated a foreclosure. Otter Creek filed a counterclaim for defective construction. The District Court ultimately found in favor of Olmstead on its breach of contract claim, but denied Olmstead\u2019s request to foreclose its mechanics\u2019 lien. The district court explained:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[A] plaintiff should not be permitted to invoice a defendant for an unsubstantiated amount of money and then subsequently foreclose on the defendant\u2019s property without providing the defendant with proof that the amount invoiced is actually valid.\u201d&nbsp;. . . [Olmstead Construction] is largely responsible for creating this dispute due to their confusing and inaccurate billing. [Olmstead Construction] proposes foreclosure on the mechanic\u2019s lien. If the Court granted such foreclosure, it would amount to an extremely inequitable solution to a problem that is largely of [Olmstead Construction]\u2019s own making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Court of Appeals did not set aside the District Court\u2019s rationale, instead noting that a mechanics\u2019 lien foreclosure is an equitable remedy. This means courts ultimately have the discretion to determine whether a particular equitable remedy, like foreclosure, serves the interests of justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olmstead did not get to foreclosure its lien because it sent four different payoff amounts to Otter Creek without providing any supporting documentation. Property owners should not, however, count on courts refusing to enforce mechanics\u2019 liens because of inequitable conduct by the contractor. Most of the time, if a contractor meets the statutory requirements for foreclosing a mechanics\u2019 lien courts will foreclose the lien. That being said, contractors should take time to make sure they know their costs and can support those costs before invoicing property owners. Having accurate invoices will reduce confusion and make it easier to get paid in a timely manner. In addition, having backup material organized will make it much easier for contractors to enforce their rights if they need to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Lande | Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler &amp; Hagen Construction disputes can be complicated. There are often disputes between the parties about the quality of work and the amount that is due. Many contractors rely on mechanics\u2019 liens as leverage to try to get their final payment. A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10772],"tags":[9895,9830,184],"class_list":["post-896872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mechanics-lien-law","tag-advise-consult","tag-iowa","tag-mechanics-lien-law","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight. - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests that contractors need to get their facts straight before they try to enforce a mechanics\u2019 lien\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight. - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests that contractors need to get their facts straight before they try to enforce a mechanics\u2019 lien\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-19T19:16:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-19T19:16:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight.\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-19T19:16:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-19T19:16:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\"},\"wordCount\":501,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Advise &amp; Consult\",\"Iowa\",\"Mechanics Lien Law\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Mechanics Lien Law\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\",\"name\":\"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight. - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-19T19:16:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-19T19:16:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests that contractors need to get their facts straight before they try to enforce a mechanics\u2019 lien\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Construction Expert Witnesses\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"width\":162,\"height\":75,\"caption\":\"Advise & Consult\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight. - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.","description":"A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests that contractors need to get their facts straight before they try to enforce a mechanics\u2019 lien","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight. - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.","og_description":"A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests that contractors need to get their facts straight before they try to enforce a mechanics\u2019 lien","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/","og_site_name":"Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","article_published_time":"2019-12-19T19:16:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-12-19T19:16:11+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@adviseconsult","twitter_site":"@adviseconsult","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7"},"headline":"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight.","datePublished":"2019-12-19T19:16:04+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-19T19:16:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/"},"wordCount":501,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Advise &amp; Consult","Iowa","Mechanics Lien Law"],"articleSection":["Mechanics Lien Law"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/","name":"Want to Foreclose a Mechanics Lien? Get Your Invoices Straight. - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-12-19T19:16:04+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-19T19:16:11+00:00","description":"A case from the Iowa Court of Appeals suggests that contractors need to get their facts straight before they try to enforce a mechanics\u2019 lien","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-to-foreclose-mechanics-lien-get-invoices-straight\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","name":"Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.","description":"Construction Expert Witnesses","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Advise & Consult","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","width":162,"height":75,"caption":"Advise & Consult"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ztG6-3LjG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896872"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":896873,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896872\/revisions\/896873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}