AITA for putting a lien on my brother’s house and refusing to remove it until he pays me ?

A contractor completed extensive basement renovations for his brother at a discounted rate of $32,000, only to be left unpaid. After waiting for years, he put a lien on his brother’s house, which blocked its sale. The brother eventually needed to pay up due to moving for a job.

Despite family pressure, he held firm, even proposing terms for his parents to cover it. Eventually, his brother took out a line of credit and paid in full with interest. Read the original story below…

‘ AITA for putting a lien on my brother’s house and refusing to remove it until he pays me ?’

I do house renovations as a business. Even when I do work for family and friends at a discount I have a contract. My nephews are getting bigger and they want seperate rooms. My brother asked me to help him finish his basement, make a couple of rooms down there, add a washroom, add a kitchenette, and wire up a family room.

I priced it out and said I would charge him $32,000 including materials. This was a sizeable discount. The bathroom alone I would charge anyone else 15,000. His wasn’t even roughed in. He never paid me. He always had excuses. I paid for the material and I paid my guys for the work.

We did it when I had downtime so I didn’t lose out on other money but it still sucked to get shafted. So I put a construction lien on the house. He didn’t care and I wasn’t going to make him homeless. That was two years ago. Now he got a new job and has to move.

And to get a new house he has to sell his current house. Which he can’t do because their is a lien against the property. He called me to get me to remove it. He promised he would pay me as soon as it sold. I told him “f**k you pay me”. My parents called me to tell me that they would pay what he owes.

I said I would agree so long as he paid them back and if he didn’t then any money he didn’t pay back had to come out of any inheritance we were getting, god forbid. And that interest started accruing from the day of the “loan”. They agreed that that was fair. My brother called me to scream at me for involving my parents and out inheritance.

I reminded him that he involved them not me. He finally took money out from a line of credit and paid me. With interest. I’m a reasonable man. The house sold over asking and the finished basement suite made a huge difference on what he got. He is still pissed at me for doing it but I did everything legal and by the books.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

Far_Information_9613 −  NTA. Who thinks you are besides him?

ReviewOk929 −  NTA – Bro seems like he was trying to get it for free and never would have paid you unless you forced the issue. “f**k you pay me” sounds entirely reasonable approach here.

Specific_Anxiety_343 −  NTA. You were smart to put a lien in place. I don’t know why all these people are mad at you. It’s business. And it’s none of their business

latents −  He promised he would pay me as soon as it sold. I told him “f**k you pay me”. My parents called me to tell me that they would pay what he owes. I said I would agree so long as he paid them back and if he didn’t then any money he didn’t pay back had to come out of any inheritance we were getting, god forbid.

And that interest started accruing from the day of the “loan”.  The only reason that I can see for him getting upset about making rules about having to pay it back out of his portion of the inheritance is because it would have stayed an outstanding debt forever.

He had no intention whatsoever to pay you from the sale money. You did what was fair and he’s upset that he couldn’t cheat you.. NTA

No_Lavishness_3206 −  NTA. He was never going to pay you once he sold his house and moved away. He played himself. 

OnlymyOP −  NTA $32k is alot of money, family or not.

Turbulent-Oven-9191 −  NTA but wow your brother has some balls. Give me 30K+ in renovations so I can stiff you. Damn people cut others out for less.

NanaLeonie −  NTA. I’m so sorry your brother would have shafted you without a second thought or a backward glance.

ParisianFrawnchFry −  NTA He can sell it with the lien, you will get paid out of the proceeds at closing. If you remove the lien, you won’t. $32K for that amount of work is really good. Do you need a sister? I swear I pay my debts!

TrooperXYZ −  NTA, but where is this?  Why not just pay it off as part of the closing process during the escrow?

Did he go too far, or was this just good business? Share your thoughts below!