Tax and Lien Resolution Services Based in Philadelphia

The Impact Of Liens

The presence of liens on your property will harm your professional reputation and business endeavors. Liens will appear on your credit reports and confer significant damage to your credit scores, which can prevent you from seeking financing and new lines of credit. You will likely be unable to successfully propose any public-private partnerships and experience strained government relations with local officials if you owe outstanding amounts to taxing authorities, and you may struggle to obtain certain types of clearances and licenses. Entities in both the public and private sector will likely hesitate to do any type of business with individuals with an active lien on their record, as it demonstrates a current inability to manage financial affairs.

The Importance of Releasing Liens

The longer you wait to address any type of lien, the greater the potential consequences. Our Philadelphia tax and lien resolution services are designed to facilitate the release of liens and get you out of debt as efficiently as possible.

A lien functions as a legal claim a creditor can make to your property when you are unable to pay a debt. The federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as well as state and local taxing authorities have the ability to issue liens when you fall behind on paying taxes. Individual, private sector creditors can also be awarded judgment liens in a successful creditor lawsuit.

You will have an extremely difficult time selling or transferring any property encumbered by a lien. The entire purpose of the lien is to effectively block your ability to leverage your asset until the debt associated with it has been paid. Any potential buyer conducting basic due diligence will discover the existence of the liens. Because a clean title cannot be transferred so long as the lien exists, most buyers will not continue with any sale unless they are willing to pay the debt to release the lien.

You cannot ignore tax debt or liens. State, federal, and local taxing authorities have numerous tools to compel you to pay. Liens are among the most powerful and serious of these methods, and certain types of liens, including property tax liens, can be further leveraged to seize your property if the associated debt continues to go unaddressed. 

How We Address Liens and Taxation Issues

 Pritzker Law Group can help you address liens before they become an issue by proactively dealing with unpaid tax debt. We can also work to release liens that already encumber one or more of your properties by managing the underlying debt. 

The reality is that if you could pay to release a lien or settle unpaid taxes, you would. By placing liens on what may be some of your most lucrative assets, the government and creditors limit your financial mobility, ironically preventing you from meaningfully addressing your obligations.

How we approach your situation will depend on the types of debt involved. If you owe money to the IRS, there are several Offers in Compromise options we can explore and pursue. Understanding tax relief opportunities can be extremely confusing, but our experienced team can identify the most effective solutions and help you prepare and submit the appropriate documentation. We can also negotiate directly with local taxing authorities and private creditors to settle your debt and release any associated liens for less than what you actually owe. 

Our Philadelphia tax and lien resolution services can help you address:

• Commercial and residential taxation issues. Receiving a larger-than-expected tax bill can be stressful, especially if you are concerned about your immediate ability to pay. Addressing taxation issues sooner rather than later can help avoid liens and other serious financial and professional consequences. If you are concerned about tax debt stemming from residential or commercial properties, our firm can help you explore your options.
• Mortgage liens. A mortgage loan agreement is actually a type of lien, albeit a beneficial one that allows homeowners and developers to purchase property without providing cash upfront. The property serves as the collateral and incentive to continue paying your loan to your financing bank or lending institution. If you fall behind on payments, your lender can move to foreclose. Because foreclosure is costly and inconvenient, many lenders would much rather renegotiate the terms of the loan or find some other solution in many circumstances. We can negotiate with your lending institution and develop a strategy that will help you sustainably manage payments and keep your property.
• Judgment liens. A creditor can file a lawsuit and request a judgment lien when a debt is not repaid. If successful, this lien will remain on your property until you pay. Many types of creditors may pursue judgment liens in addition to levies or wage garnishments. Contractors and vendors working on your project may also seek judgment liens if they feel they have not been appropriately compensated. In these situations, liens can imperil your business endeavor. We can work to pursue solutions that will release these liens as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
• Income tax and property tax liens. The IRS can issue liens when you have unpaid income taxes, while local taxing authorities can issue liens if you fall behind on property taxes. These liens will prevent you from selling or transferring your property, and failing to release them can lead to even greater consequences. We can work directly with taxing authorities to address tax debt and release liens. Our team has a track record of reducing or eliminated interests and penalties associated with these types of debts.
• Municipal liens. Many states, counties, cities, and other municipalities have the right to issue municipal liens for unpaid taxes, unpaid utility bills, permit problems, and code violations, among other reasons that can be specific to each jurisdiction. These liens will often not appear in simple lien searches but can still encumber the property. Understanding how to release these liens will involve communicating and negotiating with local officials in the encumbered property’s jurisdiction. We can help address and resolve these matters.

Our team at  Pritzker Law Group will do whatever it takes to release your liens and address any taxation issues as efficiently as possible. Call (215) 515-0882 or contact us online to discuss your situation with us. We assist clients in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the surrounding counties.