Waterproofing contractor threatens to put lien on my property
3/26/2019 at 4:28:48 PM
We hired a guy to do waterproofing for our property with no contract and on cash basis. He did a terrible job and a week job took 5 months (still not completed). It caused flooding in my basement instead of fixing it. He did not put all the dirt back, left a small part open and did not do it right. We fired him and hired another waterproofing company to redo the work. As per the new contractor, he used cheap materials that will only last 5 yrs. We already paid him 30% and his claiming that job is almost done, he just needs to finish putting all the dirt back and slabs/bricks back. Yesterday he sent a text message saying that we need to pay the balance or he will put a lien on our property.
Can he do that? What do we need to do? We are done with him and we don't want to pay him anything.
3/26/2019 at 5:06:24 PM
Don'tt worry about that, he clearly has no clue how to run a business. Unless the contract states you will pay before the work is finished. Which I believe no one would ever sign, then you are fine.
3/26/2019 at 5:18:19 PM
Word of mouth is as binding as a contract but without a written agreement it's hard to convince anyone.
3/27/2019 at 1:49:29 AM
Sounds like the bad apple that makes the rest of us, the good guys, look bad. Because of guys like him, we / I have to fight to seem honest.
Anyway...never do cash! More times than not, this is what happens!!! You may have saved a mere few hundred bucks, maybe a thousand...and voila. Not worth it.
You can't control what he does. Do not give him another penny! The line will expire and be meaningless unless you plan on selling prior to expiry. It then needs to be renewed annually.
Use any remaining funds to complete the project properly! Even if it means starting over with a detailed scope within a written contract.
Cash deals are always twice as expensive!
It's a shame you had to experience this...but I hope you've learned from it...then it was worth something at least.
Best of luck with everything.
3/27/2019 at 4:03:04 AM
It is really disappointing. He is definitely a bad contractor. you can check his license for is it expired are not.
Next timeBefore you hire a contractor please make sure to check if they have any state violations or serious bad reviews online. The easiest way to to do it is through www.con-tractors.com. You can check by their name, license or phone number. The site gathers recent state violations and bad reviews of contractors to help you decide who to hire.
Search the TrustedPros directory and discover the best contractors in your area.
Find your home service pro
