I'm not sure what you are referring to that gives the abstractor the "legal right to place a lien on the properties in order to received payment for the completed searches."  Most likely, the homeowner paid for the services at the closing... it was NOT the homeowner that didn't pay the abstractor.  As you pointed out, it was the title company that did not pay the abstractor.  The abstractors recourse would be against the title company and filing a lien against the homeowner would be inappropriate.

The only state I am aware of that authorizes such a lien would be New Mexico (I believe), though there could be others.  This sounds a lot like a mechanic's lien, but the abstractors services wouldn't qualify under the statute in Ohio (I'm not sure about other states).

My advice would be to check with an attorney before attempting to file a lien against a homeowner for a bill that a title company didn't pay.

Best,
Robert A. Franco
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