Why did I receive this notice?
If you received a notice from Severaid & Glahn regarding your homeowners association account, your account has been referred to our office by your Association for lien enforcement regarding an outstanding balance.
The balance may include unpaid assessments, costs incurred by the Association in referring the matter to our office, which are, by law, the responsibility of a delinquent owner.
Once an account has been referred to Severaid & Glahn, our office handles the account on behalf of the Association while the lien-enforcement matter remains active.
If you received a Pre-Lien Notice
This is a statutorily required early step in the lien-enforcement process. It does not mean that your property is currently being foreclosed upon. The notice provides information about the amount claimed to be due and gives you an opportunity to address the account before a lien is recorded.
You may have several options for resolving the account, including paying the balance in full, requesting a payment plan, requesting Meet & Confer with the Board regarding eligible charges, or contacting our office if you believe the balance is incorrect or you have already made a payment.
Keep your Severaid & Glahn file number handy when contacting our office or making a payment. It helps us locate your account quickly.
Does this mean my property is being foreclosed on?
No. Receiving a Pre-Lien Notice does not mean that your property is currently being foreclosed upon.
A Pre-Lien Notice is a statutorily required early step in the lien-enforcement process. If the account remains unresolved after the required notice period, the Association may proceed with recording a lien against the property.
There are still opportunities to address the account before later enforcement steps are considered. Depending on your circumstances, you may pay the balance, request a payment plan, request Meet & Confer with the Board regarding eligible charges, or contact our office if you believe there is an issue with the account.
What should I do now?
Please do not ignore the notice. Review the notice and the account information provided with it, and determine which of the following best applies to your situation:
- If you are ready to pay the balance: You can review your payment options and make payment through our office. Once your account has been referred to Severaid & Glahn for lien enforcement, payments are only authorized to be made through our office rather than directly to the Association.
- If you cannot pay the full balance: You may submit a written request for a payment plan. Your proposal should include an amount you can afford to pay in addition to your regular ongoing Association assessments.
- If you would like to discuss eligible charges with the Board: You may submit a written request for Meet & Confer with the Board. Lien costs are not eligible for abatement or waiver. Other eligible charges may be discussed with the Association through that process.
- If you believe the balance is incorrect: Contact our office and explain the issue. If you have already made a payment that is not reflected on the account, please provide proof of payment so we can research it.
Why is the balance different from my HOA statement?
The balance shown by Severaid & Glahn may be different from the balance shown on a statement from your Association or management company.
Once an account has been referred to our office for lien enforcement, the balance maintained by our office may include lien-enforcement costs, interest, and other incurred amounts that are not reflected on your Association's statement. Regular Association assessments may also continue to become due while the account remains open.
For this reason, an Association or management company statement should not be used to determine the amount necessary to resolve an account that is currently being handled by our office.
The most recent ledger provided by Severaid & Glahn should be reviewed for the most recently calculated balance. If you do not have a recent ledger or need an updated balance, please contact our office with your file number or property address.
What if I already paid the Association?
If you made a payment directly to your Association or management company that does not appear on the ledger provided by Severaid & Glahn, please contact our office and provide proof of the payment so that it can be researched.
If the payment was made by check, please provide a copy of both the front and back of the cleared check. The back of the check contains information that can help determine where the payment was deposited and how it was processed.
For payments made by another method, please provide any receipt, confirmation, or other documentation showing the payment amount, date, and recipient.
Please do not make additional payments directly to the Association while your account is being handled by our office. Once an account has been referred to Severaid & Glahn for lien enforcement, payments are only authorized to be made through our office.
What happens if I don't resolve the account?
If the account remains unresolved, the lien-enforcement process may continue and additional fees, costs, and interest may be added to the balance.
After the required notice period, the Association may proceed with recording a lien against the property. If a lien is recorded, a copy of the recorded lien and additional correspondence will be sent to the property owner.
A recorded lien does not necessarily mean that foreclosure proceedings have begun. However, an unresolved lien may be subject to further lien-enforcement action.
Addressing the account as early as possible can help avoid additional fees and costs. If you cannot pay the balance in full, you may still have options such as requesting a payment plan or requesting Meet & Confer with the Board regarding eligible charges.
