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A municipal lien search checks with the municipality the property is located in to see if there are any outstanding debts or issues on the subject property. Our standard search checks for real estate property taxes, code violations, permit issues, special assessments, unpaid water/sewer/garbage balances and any other city/county debts. Back to questions

On average, 98% of our municipal searches statewide come back within 4-5 business days. We do everything possible we can to prompt the cities to return the information back to us as soon as possible and once received, we complete the file and send to you same day. Back to questions

Property Debt Research provides research on properties throughout every city and county in Florida! Back to questions

Yes, we guarantee our work 100%. We also back up this guarantee with a $1 million E & O Insurance policy.  
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Each of the municipalities across the state have a multitude of ever changing debts they can assess on a property from many different departments. If you miss just one, you may be at risk for thousands of dollars of unrecorded liens and assessments! PDR has over 17+ years of experience in researching properties statewide for this information. We have very quick turnaround times for our searches and guarantee our work 100%. We back up this guarantee as well with a $1 million E & O Insurance policy. Our low fee and services provide you with peace of mind! Back to questions

We will waive our research fee, but any hard costs that were incurred by PDR to obtain the information on behalf of the client will still remain due.  Back to questions

Property Debt Research's pricing is based upon a standard search fee plus any actual charges (hard costs) from the municipalities, management companies, attorneys, etc. The hard cost fees are passed through to you on your invoice with back up support that allows you, our client, to see how the total invoice cost was calculated. Please click here to receive our price sheet. Back to questions

Yes, monthly statements will be sent on or about the first of each month detailing any unpaid invoices on the account. Please note all invoices are due Net 30 days from statement date. Back to questions

Yes! We perform research on all properties whether they are commercial or residential. Back to questions

Yes! There have been many instances in which we have seen violations or permit issues exist on an individual unit of a condominium.  Back to questions

Yes! Even though there might not be a structure on the property, there could still be outstanding special assessments, code violations for junk or lot mowing, or even permits that were applied for that still remain open. Back to questions

Yes! Although the property may not be in foreclosure, the owner may be still be behind on their municipal or association bills. You may also find a situation where the current owner was not aware of an outstanding permit or code issue on the property, thus resulting in it being missed.  It is highly advisable to get a municipal search done by PDR on any transaction your firm is involved in.
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Yes, as one of our services, just send us the information from your standard title search and we can help you attain the actual payoff amount.  Back to questions

Your standard title search should be referred to for a search of all recorded liens. PDR provides research for debts on the property that are not yet recorded with the municipalities.  Back to questions

Many cities/counties have special assessments that are levied against a property. Most times, these assessments may be paid off in intervals on the annual tax bill (until paid in full), or may have the balance due in full when there is a transfer of ownership. Our office determines which assessments need to be paid-off at closing and alerts you to the balance owed. Examples of assessments levied by a municipality may be street lighting or paving.  Back to questions

A lienable utility balance is one that will remain with the property regardless if there is a transfer of ownership. A property may have a utility account with an outstanding balance on it (which was opened by a previous owner on the property) which will now become the responsibility of the buyer if it is not resolved and/or paid off prior to closing. A non-lienable utility balance means that the utility company will send the account holder to collections to recoup the monies owed on the account. Not all utility companies in Florida act the same, which is why it’s important to know if a balance is lienable or non-lienable to the property. Back to questions

An open code violation is an issue on record with the municipality for existing violations, citations or other enforcement matters pertaining to the property. Some of the most common violations we see reported by the city/county are: lot mowing, unsafe structures, property maintenance violations, animal service violations, and abandoned vehicles. Due to the fact that these violations are not yet recorded liens, they will not appear on your title search or in public record. If these property issues are not found and corrected, they may be subject to large fines with daily accrual, or the municipality may even have a lien placed on the property. It is imperative a search be done for any outstanding code issues on a property to avoid these situations and to ensure the buyer takes ownership to the property free and clear.  Back to questions

An open or expired permit is a permit that has been applied for or opened with the building department, but has not yet received its final inspections and been closed out. Any permits that are not properly closed with the building department can often have fees associated with resolving these matters, and can result in a delay in closing. In many cases, a contractor must be hired to come out to the property to confirm the proper work associated with the permit was completed to their standards, and only then can the permit can be closed out. If the work was not done sufficiently, then the steps needed to bring it up to code will need to be performed. Many times there are significant costs incurred to do this. In addition, if a permit issue is not resolved it can turn into a code violation with the municipality as well.  Back to questions

Our research is done based upon the specific subject property address. Although the property’s owner (and previous owner, if applicable) is provided to the city or association when the research is requested, our searches are based upon the specific property.  Back to questions

Our search pertains to the debts held by the city that are lienable to the property. Consequently judgment, government or contractor liens would be outside of the scope of our search.  Back to questions

If the subject property is a member of a homeowners or condo association, then an estoppel letter will need to be obtained prior to closing. This is done to find out if there are any outstanding balances on the property that are owed to the association. The outstanding balance can include past due assessments, special assessments, fees for violations through the association, legal fees, etc. Please be advised that properties can belong to more than one association. The name of the association(s) must be provided to us in order to research and obtain the estoppel letters.  Back to questions

Yes, on our completed estoppel letters you will see the contact information for the association for further questions or reference of where the payment of outstanding dues needs to be sent. Back to questions

In order for us to research and obtain an estoppel letter from the association, we will need for you to provide the actual name of the Condo or Homeowners Association. If you have any additional contact information for the association, you can also place that on the online order form to assist us in our search. Please note, if there are multiple associations that pertain to a specific property, please be sure to provide them all to us on the order form! Back to questions

OrderLink is the exclusive and revolutionary new process by which clients of Property Debt Research can readily order their searches directly from their closing software! The quick and easy export from your closing software to our online order form eliminates unnecessary time be spent by processors double-entering property information, eliminates typing errors, and streamlines the overall process saving you time and money! OrderLink is readily compatible with multiple closing software programs and it can be installed remotely at your office in as little as an hour! Back to questions