Fort Myers real estate owners are familiar with the horror stories surrounding unscrupulous contractors, but sometimes we still fall for them. We all want to believe that we can get a complete kitchen upgrade for that extremely low bid. We dive in with our hopes high and may find that this leap of faith leads us flat on our faces.
Often what happens is Fort Myers real estate owners are left hanging with unfinished cabinets, bare cement floors, and a gaping hole in their saving accounts. If this has happened to you, find out the best actions to take to get your kitchen finished.
Steps for Fort Myers Real Estate Owners
Fort Myers real estate owners don’t need to take a contractor’s disappearance as a hard lesson learned. Home and business owners who may find themselves with unfinished work on their Fort Myers real estate property should take action, especially if a contract was signed and money exchanged.
There are some basic steps Fort Myers real estate owners need to take to persuade an absent contractor to come back and finish what he started.
1. Find the Written Contract
Hopefully, you actually signed a contract before allowing this contractor and any workers to come onto your Fort Myers real estate property and start the job. No matter what you think you agreed to verbally, you need to have a written and signed contract which sets the terms of the job.
Be wary of any contractor who is ready and willing to kick off a job without a written contract. Job specifics, the length of time, as well as the quality of materials and its overall costs need to be outlined before the job gets underway.
If you failed to complete a signed contract, but had a verbal agreement it can be held legally binding. This is only if you actually made this agreement in front of a third-party witness who can verify the interaction.
2. Read Through the Contact
Look closely at the contract. Although it may seem like the builders are taking too long with their renovations, it might actually be within the time frame agreed upon in the contract. This is especially true if an issue arises. Legitimate contractors typically have a clause written in that cites a schedule shift if a problem interferes with the original timeline.
3. Send an Informal Message
Once you know that the contractor is over the specified time limit and you haven’t heard or seen from anyone, it is time to reach out. The best approach is to first send a friendly but firm message by phone, text, and email. The message should outline your concern and request they come back and finish the work.
4. Send a Formal Message
If you don’t receive a response, then it is time to start leaving a legal trail to cover your bases. Start by sending them a registered letter that requires a signature upon receipt. This will need to be presented as a “notice to perform to the terms of the contract.”
According to those in the field, a registered letter shows you are serious and most of the contractors will come back.
5. Final Letter Before Terminating
If you fail to get a response, it’s time to step it up. Send a second registered letter informing the contractor that if they don’t finish their work within a given amount of time, such as 10 days, the contract will be terminated.
Also let them know you will be contacting their bond company, which is a third party organization typically required by contractor licensing agencies that promise full compensation in the event a contractor fails to do the job.
6. Moving On
After the set amount of time stated in the last letter is reached, it is time to move on. Be sure to keep all of this information on file in case the delinquent contractor shows up after the fact. This documentation trail must demonstrate that the contractor is in clear violation of the contract. A breach of contract will stop him from successfully putting a lien on your property with a claim that you breached the contract.
Although all of this will not get your work done fast, it will clear the way for someone else to step in and finish the job.
