My husband received a house from his stepmother after his father's death. We moved in and started construction on the proy,which in all reality it should have been condemned. The stepmoyhas seen the progress we have made, $20,000 dollars later and now wants us out of the property. Can we put a pien on the property for the money we have put into the house?
You ask if you can lien property on which you paid for improvements. The Illinois Mechanics Lien act would probably not meet your needs. The Act is geared toward those that perform work, not those who pay for it. As the Act puts it
Any person furnishing labor, services, material, fixtures, apparatus or machinery, forms or form work for the erection of a building, or structure, or improvement...shall have a lien for such labor, services, material, fixtures, apparatus or machinery
On the other hand, you have a claim against the owner of the property for the improvements. You may seek a judgment for the value of the improvements in Court. The judgment gives rise to a "Judgment Lien." That is what you seek - not a Mechanics Lien.
I hope this information was helpful. Best of luck!