66-11-143 - Protection from unrecorded lien claims Notice of completion Expiration of lien rights Form of notice of completion. - Tennessee Statutes

66-11-143. Protection from unrecorded lien claims Notice of completion Expiration of lien rights Form of notice of completion.

(a)  In order to be protected from lien claims that have not previously been recorded, as provided in § 66-11-111 or § 66-11-112, the owner or purchaser of improved real property or their agent or attorney may, upon the completion of the improvement, record in the office of the register of deeds in the county where the real property or any affected part of the real property is located a notice of completion, or the owner or purchaser may require a person or organization with whom the owner or purchaser has contracted for the improvement to do so upon the completion of the improvement, and the owner or purchaser of improved real property or any other authorized party shall simultaneously serve a copy of any notice of completion recorded with the register of deeds on the prime contractor; provided, however, that no copy of the notice of completion is required to be served on any prime contractor when the owner, or an entity controlled by the owner, also acts as the general contractor, as defined in § 66-11-146(b)(1), in furtherance of the improvement to the property. If a prime contractor is entitled to be served with a copy of any notice of completion recorded with the register of deeds, then the lien rights of the prime contractor not so served a copy shall not be affected by the notice of completion.

(b)  The notice of completion shall contain the following:

     (1)  The legal name of the owner or owners of the real property;

     (2)  The name of the prime contractor or prime contractors;

     (3)  The location and description of the real property;

     (4)  Date of the completion of the improvement;

     (5)  A statement that a transfer of ownership of all or a part of the real property or an interest in the real property and encumbrance on the real property, or a settlement of the claims of parties entitled to the benefits of this part, will take place not less than ten (10) days after the date of the recording of the notice of completion; provided, that the ten-day expiration for lien claimants shall only apply to contracts for improvement to or on real property, for one-family, two-family, three-family and four-family residential units. On all other contracts for improvement to or on real property, the expiration time for lien claimants shall be thirty (30) days after the date of the recording of the notice of completion in the register's office;

     (6)  The name and address of the person, firm, or organization on which parties entitled to the benefits of this chapter may serve notice of claim;

     (7)  Acknowledgment by the person filing the notice, or by that person's agent or attorney; and

     (8)  The name and address of the preparer of the instrument in compliance with § 66-24-115.

(c)  The register of deeds shall make a permanent record of all notices of completion filed in the office of the register and the records shall be available for public examination. The register of deeds shall be entitled to the fees, provided in § 8-21-1001, for the register's services in receiving and maintaining notices of completion required in this section.

(d)  If a remote contractor has served a required notice of nonpayment pursuant to § 66-11-145, then any party recording a notice of completion shall simultaneously serve a copy of the notice of completion on the remote contractor. The remote contractor shall have thirty (30) days from the date of the recording of the notice of completion to serve a written notice in response to the notice of completion in accordance with subsection (e). The lien rights of a remote contractor that has not been served a copy, shall not be affected by the notice of completion.

(e)  (1)  Any prime contractor or remote contractor claiming a lien under this chapter on the property described in the notice of completion, who has not previously registered the person's contract as provided in § 66-11-111 or registered a sworn statement as provided in § 66-11-112 and served a copy of the registration to the owner, shall serve written notice, addressed to the person, firm or organization and at the address designated in the notice of completion for receiving notice of claim, stating the amount of the claim and certifying that the claim does not include any amount owed to the claimant on any other job or under any other contract.

     (2)  (A)  For improvements to or on real property for one-family, two-family, three-family and four-family residential units, the written notice shall be served not more than ten (10) days from the date of the recording of the notice of completion in the register's office, and if notice is not served within that time, the lien rights of the claimant shall expire.

          (B)  For all other contracts for improvements to or on real property, the written notice shall be served not more than thirty (30) days from the date of the recording of the notice of completion in the register's office, and if notice is not served within that time, the lien rights of the claimant shall expire.

(f)  Any notice of completion recorded as provided in this section before the completion of the improvement or the demolition is void and of no effect whatsoever.

(g)  The notice of completion may be in substantially the following form:  

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[Acts 1975, ch. 307, §§ 1-3; T.C.A., §§ 64-1145 64-1147; Acts 1985, ch. 83, § 1; 1990, ch. 854, § 6; 2007, ch. 189, § 42; 2008, ch. 811, §§ 1-4.]