I'm a homeowner in Iowa who hired a general contractor to complete repairs for an insurance claim. The general contractor hired a sub-contractor to complete part of the project. No bill has been sent by the general contractor, and the project isn't yet completed, but the sub-contractor filed a mechanical lien as a general contractor 2 business days after their part of the job was completed, presumably to force the general contractor to pay them ahead of us receiving the final bill? The 'prior notice' and the 'notice' arrived in the mail on the same day. But now, as a homeowner, I don't know who to pay, nor how much to pay them. What protection do I have in the situation of what's presumably a frivolously filed lien? What protections does my general contractor have? Who do we pay? If we pay the general contractor, how can we be sure the lien claimant will be paid? My wife and I don't want to be stuck paying the bill twice, and are anxious that this will reflect poorly on us when we're open, willing, and able to pay for completed work.