Who is responsible?
7/6/2019 at 11:29:51 AM
We hired a contractor to do work. He did not pull permits. We are withholding half of payment because the floor is coming apart. The product is not finished to our liking and he has served us with court papers. Who is responsible? I'm sure this issue will not end well for both of us. We are a family of 7 and have been seriously lied to, and taken advantage of. I am just looking for some guidance for my family to fight this issue.
Thank you for your help
7/7/2019 at 8:25:18 AM
You are responsible for paying for the work that is completed. The judge will tell you the same thing. You agreed to pay for certain amount of work. Deficiencies that are not remedied by the contractor the court will rule on how much the contractor will either compensate you by, or have them fix it if they agree to it.
You can't withhold payment because something is not to your liking, especially after the work is completed. The time, money, and effort has already been spent (regardless of quality)
Not all renovations require permits. Anything structural, electrical, plumbing, window enlargements etc... will require permits, but if they removed non-load bearing walls, or renovated floors, cabinets, tile etc... that doesn't require a permit as it's cosmetic and doesn't change the structure or it's mechanical.
Again, the judge will definitely tell you that you CANNOT, not pay them. The work is already completed. Which is why you got served with papers, and they probably registered a lien on your property as well.
good luck
7/7/2019 at 1:28:06 PM
I have to agree with Dan. You have to pay for the work done. After that, perhaps check out the former contractor's reputation and work back ground. You might be able to re-coop some of the money for work not done or that requires re-doing. Sorry to hear about this.
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