Why and When Do You Need an MLC?

A Municipal Lien Certificate (MLC) is a legal document that certifies you don’t owe any liens – or taxes – on your property. In this article, learn how an MLC works and how Green Ocean Property Management will assist you in obtaining one when you need it.

What is an MLC?

An MLC stands for Municipal Lien Certificate. It is issued by the city where your property is located, where they state that you don’t owe any liens or any taxes to anybody and that it’s okay to pay you out on that. Why is it really important, and when do you need an MLC? 

So typically, when you have an insurance loss, the insurance companies will request an MLC before paying you out because they know that if there’s a lien on the property – whether it’s the city or some other contractor vendor – that person may have the first right for that money.

Hence, they require this MLC to prove and show that nobody owes you or you don’t owe any money on the property to anybody else.

How to Get an MLC

Are you looking to get an MLC? The process may seem daunting, but it’s a lot simpler than you may realize! Here are the steps to requesting an MLC for your property.

1. Check your city government’s official website.

Click this link if your property is in Boston. You will need to provide the following details:

• ward
• the parcel number for your property
• the sub-parcel number for your property 

You will also provide a self-addressed stamped envelope and pay the corresponding fee. Take note that the fee depends on the property class and description.

If you do not have the required details for your property, you can call the Assessing Department for assistance. You can also search for it on their official website.

2. Prepare a cover letter

We at Green Ocean Property Management already have a template drawn up. But it should just go something like:

“To whom it may concern:

I would like to request an MLC for a property with the following details.

[insert ward, parcel number, and sub-parcel number here]

Please mail it to the address on the stamped envelope: [insert address here]

If you have any questions, please call me at [insert your contact number here].

Thank you.”

3. File the MLC request.

In the city of Boston, you can get an MLC in two ways. You can either request it by mail or in person. 

I prefer to drop it off in person. It gets done at the city hall a little bit faster, and you can guarantee that they received your request.

It takes about a week to ten days to be able to obtain this, so plan on getting it earlier, and then they’re going to mail it back in the envelope that you provided.

Once you have the MLC, you can provide it to your insurance company. They will then release the funds due to you.

Our commitment

If you or anyone else you know is looking for a proactive property manager to help you through things like obtaining an MLC, please think of Green Ocean Property Management: where you get more than a property manager, you get peace of mind.