Home Contractor vs. Homeowner

As a post for starting off the new year, I have been thinking about the most important clauses to have in home contractor contracts. So, in an attempt to add to the top ten lists that are generated at this time of year, here is my list for contractors: 1. ALL CHANGE ORDERS MUST BE IN WRITING AND INITIALED BY BOTH THE HOMEOWNER AND THE CONTRACTOR! Should I say it again? 2. The contract should clearly spell out the price for the job along with a clear cut payment schedule. 3. The contractor should list reasonable start dates and end dates for the project with exceptions for delays caused by unforseen circumstances or homeowner delay. 4. The contractor should include a provision that will allow him or her to collect attorney's fees if he has to pursue payment from the homeowner. 5. There should be a complete description of the scope of the work and the materials to be used. 6. The contractor should ask the homeowner to designate who the decision makers are and make that person...

Contractor sentenced to 3-5 years in prison By Norman Miller/Daily News staff GHS Wed Dec 19, 2007, 11:44 PM EST CAMBRIDGE - A Leominster contractor accused of bilking customers in Natick, Marlborough and Arlington out of thousands of dollars in unfinished work was sentenced to state prison yesterday. Michael J. Corda, 50, was sentenced to three to five years in prison and to pay a yet-to-be-determined amount of restitution to the homeowners. Corda, who owned Northeast Building and Design, was found guilty by a jury of seven counts of larceny of more than $250 and 16 counts of 142A violations, which is the law that prohibits certain acts by home contractors. "When homeowners enter into an agreement with a contractor, they deserve to be dealt with honestly and to get the services that they paid for," District Attorney Gerry Leone said. "This contractor violated the trust of these homeowners and took thousands of dollars from them for work that he had no intention of perf...