(a) When any person entitled under this part to claim a lien against any real estate located in this state files his lien in the office of the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the real estate is located, the owner of the real estate or the contractor employed to improve the property may, before or after foreclosure proceedings are instituted, discharge the lien by filing a bond in the office of that clerk. The bond shall be conditioned to pay to the holder of the lien the sum that may be found to be due the holder upon the trial of any action that may be filed by the lienholder to recover the amount of his claim within 12 months from the time the claim becomes due. The bond shall be in double the amount claimed under that lien and shall be either a bond with good security approved by the clerk of the court or a cash bond, except in cases involving a lien against residential property, in which event the bond shall be in the amount claimed under the lien. Upon the filing of the bond provided for in this Code section, the real estate shall be discharged from the lien. With respect to property bonds, the clerk shall not accept any real property bond unless the real property is scheduled in an affidavit attached thereto setting forth a description of the property and indicating the record owner thereof, including any liens and encumbrances and amounts thereof, the market value, and the value of the sureties' interest therein, which affidavit shall be executed by the owner or owners of the interest; the bond and affidavit shall be recorded in the same manner and at the same cost as other deeds of real property. So long as the bond exists, it shall constitute a lien against the property described in the attached affidavit.

(b) The clerk of the superior court shall have the right to rely upon the amount specified in the claim of lien in determining the sufficiency of any bond to discharge under this Code section. The failure to specify both the amount claimed due under the lien and the date said claim was due shall result in such lien not constituting notice for any purposes.