Last month, the Georgia Court of Appeals handed down a decision that affects every third-tier subcontractor and supplier working on construction projects in Georgia. In short, the court held that a supplier’s Notice to Owner/Notice to Contractor which failed to include the subcontractor’s address and the location of the project did not comply with statutory requirements of a Notice to Owner. Thus, the supplier’s Notice was defective, and the supplier was barred from seeking payment under a payment bond and barred from filing a materialmen’s lien even though the contractor and surety had actual knowledge of subcontractor’s address and location of project. See Consolidated Pipe & Supply Co., Inc. v. Genoa Const. Services, Inc., — S.E.2d —-, 2010 (WL 447011) Ga.App.,2010.
Thus, in order for a sub-contractor or supplier to preserve its right to file a materialmen’s lien or make a claim against a payment bond, it is essential that a proper Notice to Contractor and a proper Notice to Owner is given within thirty (30) days of the date the sub-contractor or supplier begins work on the project.
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