A lean is essentially a piece of paper that gets filed in the official lean records that’s telling the world that you owe someone else money. One of the most common types of leans are homeowners associations leans. If you live in a homeowner’s association and you fail to pay your dues, or a special assessment, or any number of things, they will file what’s called a notice of lean. And if you don’t pay it, they can actually foreclose on that lean and take your home. If there is a large balance then you’re best off settling that lean before you try to sell your house. Another type of lean is a mortgage, that’s one of the most simplest kinds that we’re all familiar with, but a mortgage is actually a lean on your house.