A contractor must give the owner or the owner’s agent a written notice about lien rights before or when signing a residential home improvement contract.
§4852. Notice A. Prior to or at the time of entering into a contract for residential home improvements under the provision of this Subpart, the contractor shall deliver to the owner or his authorized agent, for such owner's or agent's signature, written notice in substantially the following form: NOTICE OF LIEN RIGHTS Delivered this ______ day of ________, 20___, by ______________, Contractor. You are having work done on your home. Under Louisiana law, all those who work on your home, including the contractor, any subcontractors, and their employees, as well as all those who supply materials or equipment for the work, can file a lien against your home if they are not paid. They can also recover from you personally the amounts they are owed. This can occur even if you pay the contractor all amounts that you agreed to pay for the work. You might protect yourself if you do one of the following: (a) Before the work begins, have a written and signed contract with your contractor and have a payment bond issued. Before the work begins, make sure a notice of your contract and the bond are properly recorded in the parish mortgage records. (b) When your contractor is paid make sure that all those who worked on your home or supplied materials or equipment have been paid in full. To do this, you might want to require the contractor to give you written lien waivers signed by all those who worked on your home or supplied materials or equipment, acknowledging that they have been paid. If you have further questions, contact a lawyer. By signing below, you acknowledge that you have been provided with this notice. _____________________________________ Owner or Agent ______________________________________ Date B. The notice herein required shall not be considered a condition of the construction contract. Added by Acts 1976, No. 237, §1; Acts 2019, No. 325, §1. NOTE: See Acts 2019, No. 325, §§6, 7, and 10, regarding applicability.