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Home & Garden Articles
Hold Your Contractor Accountable
Wed 03 Dec 2008 - 14:58
Hold Your Contractor Accountable
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anna_Baker]Anna Baker
Just as the unfair and unfounded assertions that woman are more emotional that men or that Asians are bad drivers, it is an age-old stereotype that contractors are untrustworthy and irresponsible and are just watching for an opportunity to take advantage of you.
Although you may encounter a few bad apples along the way, the majority of contractors are quite concerned about their reputation and aren't just working for beer money. That doesn't mean, however, that when entering into any contractual relationship you shouldn't take all steps possible to protect yourself.
Protecting yourself when hiring a contractor begins with a clearly-defined contract where both of you lay out your expectations. A contract should specify how much the project will cost, how long it will take, who is responsible if unforeseen costs arise, and any other specifics that you want to include.
The contract is your key to being able to hold your contractor accountable. If you have a signed contractual agreement and they don't follow through, you are then able to take legal recourse. You have a few forms of recourse to hold your contractor accountable. You can levy a complaint against their license with the state contractor's board, contact their bond company, or in some cases, place a lien against them.
So how much is your contractor accountable for? First of all, they must fulfill the obligations of the contractual agreement. Beyond that, they are also responsible for wrong orders, if the project takes longer than they expected, incurring more expense, if a subcontractor's performance is shabby, if work is completed poorly, and if materials they ordered are wrong. If you ordered the materials, it is more your responsibility to sort out the situation.
Working with a contractor should be an enjoyable experience. As long as you take the time to go about the project right, you shouldn't encounter too many problems. A good place to start is to only accept estimates from prescreened contractors. Prescreened means that a service such as CalFinder has already done much of the legwork for you, checking of a contractors' license and insurance. In addition, the construction company is aware that any negative feedback will make its way back to the referral service. In today's economy, a construction company's reputation is the key to their survival.
Anna Baker writes for CalFinder Contractors, a popular resource for contractors and homeowners to connect. Contractors get qualified [http://www.calfindercontractors.com]remodeling leads and homeowners get [http://www.calfinder.com/project/remodeling]remodeling estimates.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Baker http://EzineArticles.com/?Hold-Your-Contractor-Accountable&id=1729360
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