House Contractor Won't Finish - Repercussions?

[Silveroddo]

In mn if he’s a licensed general contractor he’d be on the hook for all work for 10 years. If they’re licensed/bonded, you want to go after the bond as that’s what can actually pay out for deficiencies or uncompleted work. Figure out what kind of license is needed to be a contractor in your area (state, county, city, etc) and talk to the licensing entity about your options.

 

[BBob]

Like said previously seek out the state agency and file a complaint. In AZ the AZ Registrar of Contractors oversees all licensed contractors. They most definitely side towards the homeowner around here until proven otherwise. All contractors must carry bonds to cover disputes. I don't know how many times I've helped people that were blown off by their contractor, showed/told them where to go to file a complaint and low and behold that damn contractor wants to be their friend and make everything right.

 

[Crowmangler]

Contractors are licensed/need to be licensed in the state they work in. The is a Contractors Licensing Board for every state. You can file a formal complaint with them, they will investigate, and can revoke his license.

Plus in certain states they have funds to cover certain issues when a homeowner gets screwed over. Something like a "homeowner recovery fund".

 

[CJohnson]

Not sure about the particulars, and it sucks you’re in this situation. Buuuut, was there a contract in place? Did you verify his license was in good standing with the state board? Ask for a copy of his general liability and workers’ comp?

I go behind other ‘contractors’ all the time and bail homeowners out because they were cheap and went with a low price without doing any due diligence or even worse - went with a bum contractor because price was the only consideration. Then, they complain about how they got screwed over and spend more money in the long run to get everything sorted out.

If the guy you used is licensed, send a complaint with documentation to the licensing board(s) - both state and local. They will investigate and generally they tend to side with the homeowners from my experience. And, it won’t cost you a dime. They can order the contractor to remedy the problem work or face criminal charges.

 

[Mosby]

I had a bad experience with a contractor building a garage several years ago. Father had a great local rep. In the business for 30 years but had a stroke. Son "took over" the business. Told me they were licensed but they weren't. References checked out so I didn't go further. He walked away when he ran out of money. Beat his wife a week later in a fight over passing bad checks and went to the state prison for 3 years. Don't know if he's still in or out of prison. He had a drug problem. Lawyer advised me to eat it and move on. Some other businesses already had liens on him and guys like him move around, work for cash, go to jail or go out of state. Paying legal fees to track employment and garner wages can be expensive and at some point its throwing good money after bad. Chances of getting money back were slim. I hired somebody else to finish it and it took awhile but I got over it.

 

[loganwayne]

In mn if he’s a licensed general contractor he’d be on the hook for all work for 10 years. If they’re licensed/bonded, you want to go after the bond as that’s what can actually pay out for deficiencies or uncompleted work. Figure out what kind of license is needed to be a contractor in your area (state, county, city, etc) and talk to the licensing entity about your options.

MN is a 1-2-10 year warranty. Most states have some sort of contractor warranty system in place on any new construction.

 

[def90]

Moving in to an unfinished house was the first mistake.. Did you get a CO from the inspection department? Did the mortgage company sign off on it?

 

[MTguy0341]

If its a change order or small stuff that you want changed, good luck. Also as def90 said, is the CO been signed? I would assume so since its been 9 months. Custom home you'll probably get the contractor to come back in. If its a spec home I would assume not. Montana you have up to a year to have them finish. Otherwise it all falls under warranty. Which if it is the wrong size beam and causes something to fail due to negligence than the contractor is on the hook. (Coming from a homebuilder himself)

 

[DenverCountryBoy]

Not paid in full for entire contract, but some of the items have been paid in full and issues discovered after the fact - improperly sized beam, etc.

What size beam was spec'ed out in the plans vs what was used?

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I have successfully had corrupt contractors face serious fines for failing to properly fulfil their obligations and received reimbursements for wrongdoing from them. Bonded and licensed gives you leverage. It stays on their record too.

 

[tcpip95]

Screw his wife, shoot his dog, and burn his house down.

To.
The.
Ground.

 

[freshta]

Contractors are licensed/need to be licensed in the state they work in. The is a Contractors Licensing Board for every state. You can file a formal complaint with them, they will investigate, and can revoke his license.

This ^^

 

[freshta]

Also, the state board might apply pressure on the contractor to make amends. I did electrical work for a couple who’s HVAC contractor completely screwed up and wouldn’t make it right. They contacted the HVAC licensure board and the board threatened the contractor and he paid to have an entirely new system installed. Not sure this would work for you in your state but did for this couple.

 

[fwafwow]

Lots of good advice above. I’d tend to try to avoid litigation. It sounds good on paper, but it sucks. A litigation colleague used to say “a slam dunk case means you have about 2/3 chance of prevailing.” And even if you win, collecting is a separate matter.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

Screw his wife, shoot his dog, and burn his house down.

To.
The.
Ground.

I was going to suggest helping yourself to some of his equipment and materials but ok.

 

[Avalanche123]

Screw his wife, shoot his dog, and burn his house down.

To.
The.
Ground.

Nooooo.....keep the dog....

 

[BigDawgWill44]

The only thing these guys understand are lawyers. Been in this position before. Get the nastiest lawyer you can find and pound him into the ground, bury him in legal fees, even if you are wrong, you will make his life miserable. He will fold and fix the problems faster than you could ever imagine. It sucks but people need to be held accountable. It amazes me how easily people get pushed over or bullied by contractors.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fwafwow]

Any update on his this turned out, and how much the remaining work would cost?

 

[Two Roads]

If the issue is structural, then you have a construction defect claim against his insurer under his General Liability coverage. And as several have responded, get attorney advice from an attorney that has experience because lawyers are like mechanics, some are hacks. The reason to pursue defect, if that is possible, is to avoid the LLC trap where the GC contractor ultimately files bankruptcy and you are left. All of the above assumes he also had insurance and you hopefully received proof of same. Have an attorney pursue the defect claim, not you as you will be outgunned.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

States have attorney generals for such nonsense. I’m a licensed, bonded, and insured general contractor. And, state jaws here mandate if I foul up, clients can use the attorney general to see that I get it right. Or, they’ll pull my license. That goes for everyone with a license.



The point I’m making is check out your options with your state. If it’s remotely the same, you’ll get him back to finish if he’s in the wrong. And, it sounds like he is. And, never, ever, ever hire a contractor that isn’t licensed for the state you are having the work done in. Bonding and insurance is required by states if they have employees. And, the attorney general will send the contractor a nice little letter. Problem solved.


Never hire any contractor without a proper license. If you do, the attorney general is going to tell you that you are on your own. He has no laws dictating otherwise.