Contracts for Home Contractors

Home contractors should be careful when drafting their contracts to make sure that they are in compliance with state law. If your particular state does not have a law governing home improvement contractors, a good example of a "proper" home improvement contract can be found at http://www.mass.gov/Eoca/docs/sampcont.pdf. Other factors to consider are including provisions for mediation, arbitration and an allocation of attorneys' fees. It is important to spell out the quality of materials to be used and the allowance for those materials. For a contractor who works on a larger projects, it may be worthwhile to have a lawyer review your contract prior to presenting it to a homeowner. In Massachusetts, the failure to prepare a contract that is in compliance with the law can result in double or treble damages, attorney's fees and costs against the contractor. That is why it is wise to prevent problems and prepare good contracts from the beginning.

Comments

Anonymous said…
This link to a good contract does not work
12:51 PM
Susan said…
You’re the best, I was doing a google search and your site came up for real estate in Longwood, FL but anyway, I have enjoyed reading it, keep it up! Discover the most popular people ranked on Celebrity birthdays.
3:15 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Worker's Compensation Information Available Online At the Massachusetts Department of Labor Website

Image
Mark Paskell first posted this at his blog,  http://www.thecontractorcoachingpartnership.com/Blog-Contractor-Coaching--Construction-Business-Coach-EPA-RRP-Lead-Rule/ , but I think it is so important that I wanted to post here as well.  Make sure all of your contractors have worker's compensation policies if they have employees.  If not, you may be held accountable if someone gets injured on the job.  Bravo to the government of MA for making this information available to the public. Here is a brief excerpt from the Massachusetts Department of Labor website;                                       Patrick - Murray Administration Launches  Free Web-Based Tool Will help Public Verify if Businesses have Workers Compensation Insurance Policy Boston, MA - The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) today announced the launch of the Massachusetts Online Proof of Coverage Application (POC), a free web-based   tool that will assist the public in verifying whether a particu
Read more

Terminating the Contract-The Homeowner

When can a homeowner terminate a contract? That should be determined by the contract, but if it is not, the law in your state will govern. However, one should also use some common sense to decide when the time has come. If the contractor has stopped showing up, then he has abandoned the job, and the homeowner has the right to mitigate damages by hiring someone else to finish the work. If the contractor has failed to pull permits, or done something illegal, or blatantly in violation of the contract (substituting inferior materials, for example), the homeowner does not have to stand by and accept it. What about when the homeowner just isn't happy with the work? That is a more tricky issue. Some homeowners have unrealistic expectations about what things should cost, or are not understanding when an unforseen problem arises. Homeowners should voice their concerns to the contractor and give him a chance to address the issue. If after numerous attempts at repair the problem continu
Read more