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As much as we try, not everything is plain sailing and sometimes miscommunications can affect relationships between homeowners and contractors and that’s why it’s so important to document everything. Before hiring a contractor get everything on paper. On a multiple page document make sure each page is initialled by you and your contractor and signed and dated on the final page.
Agree time frames,
stage A (and details) to be finished by march 10th.$X amount to be paid by check or card
Stage B (and details to be finished by March 20th. $X amount to be paid by check or card
Stage C (and details to be finished by March 25th.$X amount to be paid by check or card
Stage D (completion) by March 30th. Final payment of $X to be paid by check or card.
Agreed stage payments are vital for both sides and always pay with check or card - not cash - make sure to create a paper or plastic trail to verify payments in case of dispute - we’d hate to see you end up on Judge Judy!
The more details you include the better - if you just write paint the house blue and then freak out when your house is navy blue and not sky blue you don’t really have a leg to stand on so specify not just the color but also the shade. Get into the details.
Your contractor will want details too - this type of agreement protects everybody so don’t be afraid to sit down with your contractor and agree to the terms. Remember too, if your contractor wants you to buy materials, request they list what they need and have it delivered to your home - not theirs - take pictures of deliveries and keep receipts for everything.
If you feel you have done all you can to help the situation but you find you’re not getting the outcome you want we may step in. Our staff will call your contractor, get their side of the story and we’ll do our best to remedy the situation on your behalf. We’re not guaranteeing results but we have very limited numbers of contractors for each category and they fight A) to be on board with us and B) to stay on board with us.
If we feel they are being unfair we will have no hesitation excluding them from 23HourBids.com and there are always many more contractors waiting to fill that spot.
At the end of the day we want happy contractors and happy home owners.
Please note – this advice is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. In the event of a possible criminal or civil investigation please call an attorney or law enforcement. We do not get involved in legal disputes so if there is an issue please come to us first.
At the end of the day we want happy homeowners... and... happy contractors.
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