Can a contractor just place a lien on a private property without notice from an attorney or any other information? Does the contractor have to have a contract for jobs over $1000 or can any amount be verbal ?
Tennessee, like most states, doesn't require that a contract be in writing for mechanics lien rights to exist. Whether or not notice will be required before the lien filing will depend on a few different factors (and you can learn about those here: Do I need to send a preliminary notice in Tennessee?). But, once a lien has been filed, notice must be given to the property owner, as discussed here: Do I need to send notice after filing my TN mechanics lien?
It sounds like you may have had a mechanics lien filed against your property. If that's the case, this article should be useful: A Mechanics Lien Was Filed on My Property – What Do I Do Now?