Use case · Construction and real estate
Check who you’re building with before the first draw.
A subcontractor who walks off the job or a sponsor with a history of default costs more than any investigation. We look at the company and its principals: licenses, liens, litigation and the projects that went wrong before.
What goes wrong without it
What a bid package won’t show you.
Liens and unpaid suppliers
Mechanics’ liens and supplier suits that follow a contractor from project to project.
Licenses that lapsed
Contractor and professional licenses that are expired, suspended or held by someone else.
Partners with a history of default
Sponsors and JV partners whose earlier projects ended in bankruptcy, foreclosure or litigation.
What we check
The searches that matter most on a project.
Every construction and real estate case runs the full package on the company and each principal. These are the searches that most often change an award or a commitment.
See all 28 searches →Professional licenses
Contractor and trade licenses confirmed with the issuing board, with any discipline.
Federal tax liens · State tax liens · UCC liens
Tax liens and secured creditors that signal a contractor in financial trouble.
County civil · Federal district civil
Mechanics’ lien suits, defect claims and disputes with owners and suppliers.
Federal bankruptcy
Prior failures by the company or by projects its principals sponsored.
Business history (SOS, D&B)
Entity standing, prior companies and the people who actually control the business.
OFAC and global sanctions
Sanctions exposure for foreign investors and partners in the deal.
What a finding looks like
Graded, sourced and matched to the right person.
Each finding tells you what happened, how serious it is and how we know it’s the same person, with the record attached for your file.
Sample finding · fictional subject
County civil — mechanics’ lien foreclosure
MediumSubject: Ridgeline Framing LLC, proposed framing subcontractor. Three suppliers filed lien foreclosure suits against it on a 2024 multifamily project, two still open. Its principal’s previous framing company was administratively dissolved in 2021.
- Court and case
- Travis County District Court · 3 cases
- Identity match
- Entity name, principal name, registered agent
Petitions and SOS dissolution record attached
Where it fits
From bid to closeout.
At bid
Open the case
Add the bidders or the partner and their principals. It takes minutes in the client portal.
Before award
Read the report
Findings arrive in about 5 business days, before contracts are signed and money moves.
During the project
Keep watching
Continuous monitoring re-screens key partners daily and alerts you to new liens or suits.
Questions
Construction and real estate diligence, answered.
Can we check every subcontractor on a project?
Yes. Several subcontractors can be submitted at once in the client portal; each becomes its own case with its own report.
Do you check the property or only the people?
We investigate the companies and people involved in the project. Title, survey and environmental work stay with your title company and consultants.
What about foreign investors in a deal?
We cover 100+ countries through in-country partners, including sanctions and corporate records in the investor’s home jurisdiction.