Two Decade Old City Lawn Mowing Lien, Clerical Error Create Heartache For Homeowner

In Garland, Texas, The Dallas Morning News reports:

• It will be a while longer before Maria Gutierrez finishes paying off her little house on Glenfield Drive. The terms are easy, about $300 a month, which is pretty much all she and her adult daughter, a disabled dialysis patient, can afford.

• So she lies awake at night worrying about the $2,000 [$272.95 plus 20 years of accrued interest] the city says she must pay or risk losing her home. She's scared. That figure stems from a 20-year-old mowing lien incurred before Mrs. Gutierrez had ever laid eyes on the little clapboard house.

For more, see Garland homeowner shouldn't have to pay for mistake she didn't make.

For story update, see Garland woman won't lose home over 20-year-old lien.

Editorial Note:

This story serves as another reminder of the importance of obtaining a title insurance policy when buying an interest in real estate. code enforcement lien