What is the MAXIMUM amount of a lien that can be claimed by a subcontractor who notifies the lien agent for a two-family residential property on August 1 that the subcontractor first provided labor and materials on May 1, billing $4,000 per month through September 30 and was never paid?

What is the MAXIMUM amount of a lien that can be claimed by a subcontractor who notifies the lien agent for a two-family residential property on August 1 that the subcontractor first provided labor and materials on May 1, billing $4,000 per month through September 30 and was never paid?

• A. $4,000
• B. $8,000
• C. $12,000
• D. $16,000

Answer: (B)

In Virginia, a subcontractor’s lien on a two-family dwelling is capped by statute at eight thousand dollars. The lien amount isn’t simply the unpaid total over time; it’s limited to this maximum regardless of how many months of labor and materials are claimed. Here, the subcontractor began May 1 and, by August 1, would have three months’ charges totaling $12,000, but the law limits the lien to $8,000. So the maximum lien that can be claimed is eight thousand dollars.