Liens and mortgages

What are liens? What is a mortgage loan?

A lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt. Any property that carries a lien can be forced into sale by the lender, in order to collect what is owned. Items of property can be movable assets (e.g. vehicles, machinery), rights (claims against the third party) or securities.

A mortgage is a loan secured by a real property. An owner pledges his/her right to the real property as security for a loan.

All operations involving establishment of a lien or a mortgage are ordinarily recorded in the form of an immediately enforceable notarial record, which provides the creditor with additional legal safety, because execution proceedings are not followed by civil proceedings (appeal is not possible).