Over the next few weeks, Beantown Law Group, LLC, will be discussing issues that arise with general contractors and subcontractors. This will be a 1,000 foot view of some of the issues that arise in the course of dealing. This shouldn’t be construed as legal advice, but we’re putting this out there to educate the public on being aware of issues before they arise.
As the COVID pandemic forced us all to stay at home, many of us started to invest in renovation projects. Whether its renovating that unused basement, remodeling the bathroom, or building an expansion, you likely had to hire a general contractor.
What comes with hiring a general contractor? A site inspection, quoted estimate, and money paid as an advance deposit. But are you preserving your interests?
Many contracts that are signed between a homeowner and general contractor consist of boilerplate terms that are drafted in favor of the contractor, giving them more flexibility within the contract that may become problematic to you. Items that need to be locked in, that sometimes aren’t, are specific duties such as: dates of completion, when x-amount of money is due (usually upon completion of a certain task), general contractor’s duty to hire subcontractors (and pay them), clean up, rights to indemnity if there is property damage, etc.
Bottom line: you don’t know, what you don’t know. So, before hiring a general contractor, check in with an attorney to make sure that your rights are preserved within the contract. It’s easier to negotiate and lock in terms before signing. It’s harder to modify and discuss changes after the fact.
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