Property Liens

FAQ's About Stoneridge POA Liens

The Stoneridge POA Board of Directors have received questions in the past concerning property liens placed by the Association. We hope this may provide some answers to frequently asked questions about the process and necessity for liens in our neighborhood.

The Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (known as CCRs or "Covenants"), Articles of Incorporation, and Bylaws are the documents governing all aspects of assessment and collection of dues and fees, including property liens.  All members are referred to those documents and the laws of the State of Texas for information pertaining to  property owner duties, responsibilities, and rights regarding property liens.
 
Who do I contact to get more information regarding liens?
For further information regarding property liens, property owners can contact the Stoneridge POA Property Management Company@ The Bishop Company (512) 451-6602/ P.O Box 9722  Austin, Texas 78766 during normal business hours. The Bishop Company will have complete information concerning the payment of past dues, amount owed, and the lien placement and removal process.
 
What is a lien?
A lien is a legal document that is filed by the Association that is attached to the property deed that is on file at the Travis County Clerks Office, which acknowledges that legal debt obligations are in arrears on the property.
 
Why does the Association have to file a lien?
A lien is placed on a property in order to protect the Association from a failure of a property owner to pay their assessment ("dues"), fees, or fines.  A lien is placed on a property only after all other methods to recover amounts owed have been attempted. Unfortunately this is the only legal option the Association has in order to enforce the dues and fine assessments.
 
What does a lien on the property mean to me?
The property with a lien cannot be sold, transferred, or refinanced without first satisfying the removal of the lien by payment of all amounts in arrear and associated attorney fees. Payment of all outstanding amounts, along with associated legal fees incurred by the Association must be made prior to removal of the lien. After payment has been received, a letter requesting removal of the lien must be made to the Association, in order to process the removal of the lien.
 
How fast can a lien be removed from the property?
The lien removal process will be instituted as soon as the full payment and request for removal is received. The Management Company will work with the Association attorney to file the legal documents to remove the lien. This may take several days since this is legal document that must be filed with the Travis County District Clerk Office. Realistically this is not something that can be resolved in a few hours. The Association will act as expeditiously as possible, but the legal process of Travis County is beyond our control.
 
How many property liens have been filed by the Association?
Fortunately the number is very few. The Board of Directors makes many attempts to recover outstanding amounts in order to protect the financial stability of the Association. The placement of a lien is a last resort to encourage compliance with the legal obligations that each property owners assumes with the purchase of their home. The liens are in the public record at the District Clerks Office
 
Disclaimer
The information provided above is for convenience and is not intended to be binding on the Association, Board, Officers, advisors, or Management company.  All homeowners should consult the Governance documents and seek expert advice.