ArtBuild template ArtBuild checklist · All of Canada
Construction lien rights review checklist (Pay-When-Paid Protection)
Collect the facts for a lien review while you wait for payment.
- 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 Pay-When-Paid Protection Kit: start with its guide, and download the whole kit there.
Preserve the facts while payment is delayed
Use this worksheet to prepare a jurisdiction-specific lien review while upstream payment is being discussed. It does not determine eligibility or calculate a deadline. Continuing negotiations, a promised payment or an information request must not be assumed to preserve a separate filing right.
- Project location legal description and owner
- Private public federal or other project status
- Contracting chain and your role
- Services or materials supplied
- First and last relevant supply events with evidence
- Completion termination or abandonment information
- Keep dated performance, delivery, invoice and change records.
- Record any certificate of completion or formal notice exactly as received.
- Identify whether the issue concerns land, a holdback or another remedy.
- Provide the whole subcontract and upstream-payment explanation to the reviewer.
- Keep possible trigger dates separate where the evidence conflicts.
Obtain separate filing and enforcement instructions
| Review question | Source and project fact | Reviewer conclusion / date |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility and applicable regime | [enter] | [ask your adviser] |
| Preservation step and trigger | [enter] | [ask your adviser] |
| Service requirements | [enter] | [ask your adviser] |
| Enforcement step and trigger | [enter] | [ask your adviser] |
| Exceptions or court order | [enter] | [ask your adviser] |
- Have a qualified reviewer confirm the exact step recipient and method.
- Record the source effective version and any transition rule.
- Separate administrative reminder dates from legal deadlines.
- Retain filing and service evidence if a step is authorized.
- Do not overstate the amount or threaten a lien based only on an unpaid ledger.
- Earliest uncertain date and urgent review owner
- Professional adviser and jurisdiction
- Confirmed next step and evidence required
BC and NB links are limited statutory starting points, not a Canada-wide rule.
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.