ArtBuild template ArtBuild checklist · All of Canada
Construction lien rights review checklist (General Contractor Bankruptcy Recovery)
Collect the facts for a lien review while the contractor is insolvent.
- Version
- 2026.1
- Last updated
- October 24, 2026
Prepared by ArtBuild to help you organise your paperwork. It is general information, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Check the rules for your province or territory before you act.
Part of the General Contractor Bankruptcy Recovery Kit: start with its guide, and download the whole kit there.
Investigate local rights alongside insolvency
Use this checklist to prepare a construction-law review when the contractor is in an insolvency proceeding. Do not assume the insolvency claim and a construction lien are the same process or that either automatically preserves the other.
- Project location and legal property details
- Owner and public or private status
- Your contracting party and supply role
- Contract and amendment dates
- Proceeding type, estate or court file
- Known court orders or notices
- Collect supply dates and evidence, completion certificates, termination or abandonment records and notice dates.
- Identify the amount related to the improvement, with credits and receipts reconciled.
- Separate unapproved extras, interest and other disputed additions.
- Identify any prior lien, discharge, settlement, guarantee or security documentation.
- Preserve all plausible event dates where facts conflict; do not choose the latest date by default.
A missing or disputed trigger date requires prompt review. A date in a trustee notice is not automatically the date that governs a local construction process.
Questions for the qualified reviewer
| Question | Source / evidence | Confirmed action |
|---|---|---|
| Does this claimant and work qualify locally? | [definitions, project facts] | [enter] |
| Does a stay or order restrict action? | [proceeding and court order] | [enter] |
| What preserves any local right? | [form, office, service and timing] | [enter] |
| What later enforcement step is separate? | [procedure and verified date] | [enter] |
| How should receipts reduce overlapping claims? | [ledger and recovery allocation] | [enter] |
- Reviewer and jurisdiction
- Official source, provision and access date
- Confirmed deadlines and factual triggers
- Unresolved issue and immediate owner
Use the Lien and Claim Deadline Tracker only for dates supplied after review. Quebec, public property and other special project circumstances require their own analysis.
Before you act: this document is general information prepared by ArtBuild to help you organise facts and paperwork. It is not legal advice and has not been reviewed by a lawyer for your situation. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time. Check the official source for your project, and for deadlines, liens, court or insolvency steps, speak with a lawyer licensed where the project is located.