When Your Contractor is a Bully
Before I start this post, I want to remind my readers that I represent both contractors and homeowners and have seen good and bad on both sides. I can certainly write the next post about nightmare homeowners, but this one focuses on a phenomenon that I have seen recently. I have had more than one client come to me within the last few months who has been bullied by his contractor with threats of walking off the job, failing to honor warranties, and pushing homeowners into changing the scope of their projects. The homeowners feel powerless and do not know how to handle the situation. So, here is some advice for dealing with the difficult contractor: 1. Ask yourself what if? A home renovation project can be unpleasant, invasive and overwhelming, but it should not be threatening. If your contractor is not honoring your wishes, something is going wrong. So, the first thing to do is ask yourself, what if the contractor walks off the job? Files a lien on my property? Refuses to honor the warr...