Trusted legal guidance for businesses, service providers, and commercial clients in the Fraser Valley
Unpaid commercial work can place immediate strain on your operations, inventory, and cash flow. When services have been provided in relation to goods and payment has not been made, British Columbia’s Commercial Liens Act may offer a legal framework that helps protect your right to be paid.
Pathfinder Law assists Langley businesses and service providers with commercial and repairer’s lien matters by offering clear legal guidance grounded in BC law.
We help you understand how lien rights arise, what steps must be taken to preserve them, and how disputes can be resolved efficiently and responsibly.
Clients in Langley turn to Pathfinder Law because we provide legal advice that is direct, thoughtful, and outcome-focused. We take the time to understand your business, the services you provided, and the challenges you’re facing.
Lien matters often involve tight timelines and competing interests. Our team works with you to assess risk, identify leverage points, and pursue a resolution strategy that aligns with your goals. When negotiation is not sufficient, we are prepared to take further legal steps as needed.
Under the Commercial Liens Act, a person may have a commercial lien on goods for services provided in relation to those goods when the services were requested by someone with a qualifying connection to the goods. This may include an owner, a person with an interest in the goods, a person in possession, or a person legally entitled to possession.
The Act applies only to specific categories of services provided for consideration in relation to goods, including:
Many situations commonly referred to as “repairer’s liens” fall within these categories, depending on the nature of the services performed and the surrounding documentation.
Not all liens are enforceable in every situation. Under the Act, a lien is enforceable only if one of the following conditions is met:
For an authorization or acknowledgement to meet the Act’s requirements, it must be signed and include a description of the goods.
The Act also clarifies that a lien holder is not considered to have possession if the goods remain in the apparent possession or control of the person who requested the services, the owner, another interested person, or their agent.
Determining enforceability early can help avoid unnecessary risk and clarify available options.
A lien may be perfected by the lien holder maintaining possession of the goods, either directly or through someone acting on their behalf.
A lien may also be perfected by registering a compliant financing statement in the applicable registry. The Act sets out specific requirements for registration, including different identification rules depending on whether the goods are serial-numbered or non-serial-numbered. In certain circumstances, where a lien was initially perfected by possession and control of the goods is later given up, the Act allows a defined grace period during which registration can preserve perfection. Understanding how and when perfection applies can be central to protecting lien rights.
Commercial lien matters often involve complex facts and competing interests. Pathfinder Law helps Langley clients navigate these issues with clear guidance and steady support.
Commercial and repairer’s lien matters described on this page are governed by the Commercial Liens Act (S.B.C. 2022, c. 9). This legislation establishes how commercial liens on goods are created, when they attach, what they secure, and the conditions for enforceability and perfection in British Columbia.