The Notice of Intent to Lien gives a Florida property owner a heads-up before further action is taken. This document states that the payment remains unpaid, and the sender is planning to record a construction lien unless the issue is resolved.
The form lays out the property and project details, lists the parties involved, specifies the amount owed, and gives the recipient a deadline to respond. It also includes a Certificate of Service.
Once the notice is received, the property owner has a limited window to sort things out - either by paying, negotiating, or working out the amount in dispute. Many disputes actually get resolved at this point.
Important: Florida lien law is very strict about notices and deadlines - letters of intent won't do. Some notices are actually mandatory. If you don't have a direct contract with the property owner, you have to send a Notice to Owner either before you start working or within 45 days of providing labor, services, or materials (Fla. Stat. § 713.06). If you miss that deadline, your lien rights might just disappear.
If payment still doesn't come through, you need to record the Claim of Lien within 90 days of your last work or delivery (Fla. Stat. § 713.08). You have to serve the lien on the owner before recording, or within 15 days after recording, using the service method allowed by § 713.18.
In practice, a Florida Notice of Intent to Lien helps the sender get all their facts in order before taking the following steps:
• Double-check the property owner's name and correct mailing address from the public records, or your Notice of Commencement.
• Give a clear description of the property (street address plus the legal description, if you've got it).
• State the exact amount the owner owes and what work or materials that amount is for.
• Document the delivery method and date in the Certificate of Service.
After recording, the lien doesn't stick around forever. Florida law generally limits a lien's duration to one year after recording, unless the claimant takes action to enforce the lien within that time.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Form Name | Florida Intent to Lien Form |
| Form Length | 2 pages |
| Fillable? | Yes |
| Fillable fields | 26 |
| Avg. time to fill out | 10 min |
| Other names | notice of intent to lien Florida PDF, Florida intent to lean letter help, get the intent to lien letter template form for Florida, subcontractor notice of intention to file a lien |
