Remodeling is almost always a hassle but there are cases that will be complete disasters because of the contractor. It is really important that you thoroughly vet your contractor and that you analyze the remodeling contract way before you sign. If you want to protect yourself from unexplained delays, bad workmanship and more, here are some simple tips that are going to help you.
Fire Your Contractor
This is the one that is definitely obvious but for most homeowners it is really difficult to do. A contractor can challenge filing in court and you would need to hire a professional like Sattiraju Law Firm to help you deal with everything. Showing a breach of contract is normally necessary in this case.
What is really important is to document the instances when contractors do not respect contract specifics. Always point it out that this happened and do it as officially as possible! That will help you a lot in the future. Contractors will most likely not refund the amounts you paid so be careful with up front checks.
Request Hearings
There are contracts that include the binding arbitration clause. This is where parties are agreeing to try to dispute resolves through arbitration instead of court. This is a pretty low cost way in which both parties can go to someone that is independent that would make a final decision. Remember that this type of hearing can be requested even if the contract does not include the cause. A nominal fee would need to be paid but it is generally really small.
Hiring A Specialized Attorney
Hiring construction or litigation attorneys that know all about state statutes and contracts can be contacted. A contract will never be able to avoid the lawsuit in the event that it happens. There are so many cases in which you do not really have another option. For instance, if contractors disappeared, the lawyer may help you to get money from state recovery funds. Attorneys can also help whenever the contractor simply does not want to discuss things and does really bad work.
Small Claims Court
This is where you would represent yourself. Local jurisdiction rules are going to apply. However, in most cases there will be a judge that will hear the parties, will ask some questions and then will solve the problems that appeared. The only catch is that the small claims are normally small. There are limits that exist and they are normally up to $7,500. The only US state when it is higher is Tennessee with $25,000.
Bad Reviews And Complaints
So many websites exist that allow you to post your information about the bad contractors. At the same time, you can file complaints with state contractor boards of licenses. This would make information public when enough complaints are received.
That is not going to fix the problems that appeared but at least you can protect others that would work with the same contractors in the future. You are surely going to look for reviews about contractors before signing a contract so the reviews should be used by all clients.
