Would it be beneficial for me to place a lien against real property in the below scenario?
I have a tenant that owes me a significant amount of back rent (three months, right now). He is going through a terrible divorce and all his money is going to the wife for support and he is unable to pay his rent right now. The final hearing is in a few weeks. He believe he will get a significant settlement out of the divorce and will be able to pay me at that time. He asked and I agreed to this delay, temporarily, as he has been renting from me for the last 5 years and has been an excellent tenant. He has also borrowed $5000 from me in the last few weeks. My question is, in this situation, would it be beneficial for me to place a lien against the property that he and his wife own? He feels sure that the judge will award her the house and she will have to refinance it in her own name. Wouldn't a mortgage company require that the lien be paid off before the refinance? This scenario is in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Any insight you could give would be greatly appreciated. I do not wish to impact my tenant in any way, but I would like to recover my money.

