Contractor Taking Too Long To Finish The Job? (Do This!)

When you hire a contractor to work on your home, the hope is that they will work hard until the job is successfully finished. Unfortunately, sometimes contractors can stretch a job out and leave it unfinished while you still pay them for their services.

Merely encouraging a contractor to finally finish the job you paid for is not enough to rectify the situation. If the contractor is stretching a job out and all of your pleading has failed, firing them is usually the best solution. However, you first want to talk to them about the issue to see if they’ll solve the problem themselves before taking it a step further.

This article will guide you through the unfortunate circumstances of what to do if a contractor takes advantage of you more or less. This way, if you were ever to stumble into that position, you would know the correct actions that you need to take.

Before hiring a contractor, try to get an exact estimate of how long the project will take them. Estimates are not always precise, but you can at least decide whether or not that time frame is reasonable. By doing this, they more or less make a verbal commitment and should have that particular job close to the quoted finish time.

Great contractors want to complete projects quickly to collect completion pay so they can start the next job. Avoid contractors that request the majority of the payment upfront. If they have already been paid, there is less incentive for them to complete the job on time, or at all.

Tell your contractor about your concerns about the work being done. You can expect that they may become defensive. Make it clear that from your understanding, the work should be finished or at least much further along than what it is. At this stage, you should present the contract to show that they are not as far as was promised.

If it is a case of them only showing occasionally and for a limited time, they will say that is not in violation of the contract. Talking to them may encourage them to finish the job. However, if it does not, then you need to pursue more drastic measures such as firing them.

You need to be able to show that the quality of their work did not meet expectations. When all else fails, firing them is the only solution.

Read through the contract and see if it specifies termination fee costs. Some contracts do, and in that case, the contractor will request payment when you fire them. You can either choose to pay them that fee then or wait and possibly contest it in mediation. Even if you pay the cost, you can possibly be reimbursed if you have a claim paid out or in arbitration or mediation.

Check to see if your contractor is licensed or bonded. You can often find out if the contractor is licensed by looking at the contract. Otherwise, you can contact the license board to find out and potentially make an official complaint. Filing a complaint with the licensing board is a significant first step after firing them because contractors rely on their licenses. You are at an advantage if you have a licensed contractor, even if their work is not great.

Contractors can have their license revoked when reported to the licensing board, so they are quick to resolve issues when it comes to that. Filing a complaint is easy and all you need to do is look up your state’s licensing board and call them.

If your damages are quite severe and you need a lot of money in return, a lawsuit is the best solution. Litigation should be seen as a last resort. It should only come to a lawsuit if it is a large sum of money, and the contractor will not back down.

A lawsuit is only necessary if the contractor continually dragged out the job costing you more money all the time. If it is a case of the contractor having taken too long resulting in termination, a lawsuit is too drastic. The reason for that is that suing someone can be more expensive than it is often worth it. If the sum of money that you stand to win in a suit is enough to cover legal expenses and the costs of hiring a new contractor, it is worth it.

If you are lucky, talking to your inefficient contractor will be enough to speed them up or get you compensated for lost time and money. Hopefully, if that does not work then filing a claim or reporting them to the board will.

The sooner that you can hire a new contractor, the better. When you find a new contractor, make it clear to them why the last one did not work out. Emphasize your desired timing for the task and be sure to specify beforehand or incentivize them with more pay after the job’s completion.