mechanic's lien

American  

noun

1. a lien secured on property, as an automobile, building, or the like, by the contractor who has repaired or built it, in order to ensure payment for labor and materials.

---

Example Sentences

If you do not pay the workers for their services or materials, then they can levy a mechanic’s lien against your land.

From Encyclopedia.com • Sep. 19, 2018

Mr. Szabo went to Thomas Macari, a vice president of the Trump Organization, threatening to place a mechanic’s lien on the property if the men weren’t paid.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2017

A clause in the lease requires that Trump Old Post Office LLC notify the GSA in writing within 10 days of any mechanic’s lien being filed.

From Washington Post • Jan. 5, 2017

On June 27, 1980, the Poles’ lawyer, Szabo, went to Trump’s office and served Trump with a mechanic’s lien, Szabo testified.

From Time • Nov. 29, 2

It was not till Mr. Hardcap, whose stock of patience is small, threatened the church with a mechanic's lien that the remedy was forthcoming.

From Laicus; Or, the Experiences of a Layman in a Country Parish. by Abbott, Lyman