How do I Select the Right Notice To Owner service?
When selecting a company for preparing your notice to owner here are some items worth considering.
1. Is the company qualified and experienced?
Look for a company that has been in the credit, legal, and construction industry preparing notices for many years. The Florida lien law isn’t new and there are several experienced companies and individuals working from home that can and have been doing do a pretty good job for many years. But of equal concern are the companies that claim they are both “involved in creating the lien law” and companies that offer services that are simply outside of what the law allows.
For example, many companies claim they will also prepare and record a claim of lien for you as an added service. Without getting in to complicated details, Florida law clearly states that becomes the practice of law and the claim of lien would become invalid if brought to trial in a foreclosure suit. Would you want a company that misleads you just to earn a few extra dollars preparing any legal documents for you?
2. Does the service keep up with all changes in the law?
Legislative involvement should be taken seriously. There are only a few firms that are actually involved with lobbying efforts to promote and protect the current lien laws. NACM of Florida (our legal name d/b/a SACM) was involved with the original creating of the law. We still have a lobbyist and a group of the very best credit managers in the industry representing what we call the Florida Improved Construction Practices Committee. By staying involved we are part of the legal changes made and even part of discovering pitfalls and items to be concerned about.
3. How much will a Notice to Owner cost me?
Each company has differences that affect pricing. Are you a subcontractor, contractor, material supplier, or fall somewhere else in the chain of command? Is your trade one of the first on the job or last? A trade that is first on the job such as pouring concrete will be harder to research since a notice of commencement may not be available yet while a painter or cabinet supplier will come in towards the end of the project.
In addition to these considerations your notice to owner company should give you a price for the notice and a separate price for postage. All charges should be clearly explained and an estimate of your charges should be prepared for you.
4. Can a notice to owner service actually save me money?
The answer is clearly yes. Consider the research involved in preparing the notice, checking real estate records, tax roles, notice of commencement, etc. Next consider the time involved in printing, and then preparing the certified mailers required by statute. I could go on but it’s clear that the time involved in the process can be lengthy unless you have the proper tools.
One more item to consider; are there other ways you can save money besides just a lower price? A service offering web based forms management saves time and is also a great asset in customer service. With our web based forms you simply look up a job on your screen and select the form you want to prepare and print. For a partial waiver you would only need to type in three items; dollar amount, through date, and your name. In less than a minute you have created a professional partial waiver with the legal, owner, and other information already filled in. Forms management is an option you must consider especially if it is offered for free.
5. How much work do I have to provide when requesting a Notice to Owner?
There are companies that offer different price levels depending on how much information you offer. Their goal is to get you to fill in and prepare the notice so all they have to do is the mailing. Your notice to owner company should require some basic information such as job name and address, owner name and address, who you are working for. Even if you don’t have all the details, that should be enough for a notice company to get started on making phone calls and gathering the information needed.
At SACM we offer service, experience, and the support of our entire credit staff at a price that can’t be beat. Call or email us to discuss you needs and a no obligation rate comparison.
info@sacm.us.com
(407) 299-7491
