I am a subcontractor. Did metal fabrication for 2017 MTA project. Delivered to site in November and December 2017. The contractor was invoiced $22684. Received bank notice of bounced check in January 2019. Placed Mechanics Lien through ZLien in March 2019. Still no payment received.
In New York as a subcontractor, you have 1 year after filing your mechanics lien to enforce the lien that must be initiated within that period of time. Liens are only effective for a certain period of time and an unpaid lien claimant must enforce their lien before the state's deadline. Enforcing a lien requires legal action, so it is advised that you consult with a New York construction attorney before the enforcement deadline.
However, New York is one of the few states that allows the deadline to enforce a mechanics lien to be extended, potentially more than once. If the project that you were unpaid for was not on a single-family residential property, a mechanics lien can be extended once by filing a lien extension document with the recorder, and the extension is for 1 year.
If you aren't able to extend the mechanics lien, there are a few potential steps that may be taken in the absence of a mechanics lien right including:
I hope that helps!