Ohio Homeowner-Contractor Dispute Attorneys
It is hard to find a good contractor. Then, when you do find a good contractor they are in such high demand that it is hard to get your project scheduled. The Central Ohio law firm of Harris & Engler has vast experience representing homeowners and contractors over contract disputes, quality of work issues, and payment disputes. It is the experience of knowing both sides of the dispute, knowing the legal tools that each side has at their disposal to resolve the dispute, and having litigated those dipsutes in court that allows the attorneys at Harris & Engler to get favorable results for their clients.The attorneys at Harris & Engler have resolved countless disputes between homeowners and contractors. For a homeowner, the most common issues with a contractor are with the quality of work done, disputes over payment when considering the progress of work or quality of work, or contractors who don't show up or that take the downpayment and run, never to be heard from again.
The most common problems for contractors working on residential property are: (1) not getting paid; (2) disputes over payment for change orders; (3) disputes over whether certain work needs to be redone or was done incorrectly.
Resolve Your Homeowner-Contractor Disputes with an Experienced Attorney
There are many fly-by-night contractors around Ohio who set up shop operating under one company name and the minute they run into legal issues they just change their name. This is why reputation and length of time in the business, under the same name, is so important to contractors. As a practical matter, only about half of contractors in Ohio are doing things the way they should be doing them when it comes to written estimates, contract terms, and written change orders (yes, change orders should be documented and signed by the homeowner). For a contractor, a lot of legal issues can be avoided with a contract custom written by an attorney and a proper understanding of your obligations under Ohio's Home Sales Solicitation Act and Consumer Sales Practices Act.For a homeowner, it is important to know when to fire a contractor and what your rights are with regard to progress payments and holding off on the final payment until the work is done. Most of the time, the attorneys at Harris & Engler hear from homeowners after the dispute with the contractor has reached the boiling point. This is usually the point where the contractor is no longer working at the job and/or threatening to file a mechanic's lien or otherwise demanding payment.
