Do we have to pay roofing co remainder of money based on the fact that they did not do the job correctly and it failed inspection?
Question Details:
We just had a new roof put on our house. The roofing company did not pull a permit so the city would not inspect. We hired a third party company to inspect the roof which did not pass by any means. I know we need to give them an opportunity to make good on the repair but do we have to pay them the remainder of the money from our insurance company; $400 was deducted from the insurance check to pay the inspector and we will also deduct another $400 for his re-inspection. He also said the entire roof needed to be redone not just random shingles. It is a mess. Do we have to pay roofing company the remainder of the money based on the fact that they did not do the job correctly from start to finish?
There is an implicit guarantee of workmanship in all contracts for construction work. Evidence of same could contest liens, and could get you a recovery against them in court. You may want to hire an experienced construction lawyer and a reasonable estimator (or to get bids from replacement work vendors, showing what they didn't do and what needs to be repaired and what it will cost) to prepare a claim letter, and/or to prepare appropriate litigation against the roofer.
That said, remember that a mechanic's lien carries interest if not paid, that lawyers cost money that can't be recovered unless you win after litigation that could take a fair amount of money and time, and that minor repairs are therefore more worth doing than litigating. Would suggest you check the costs of redoing the work, make sure all liens are off your property from this roofer, and then either negotiate to get liens off and to get at least the cost of your repairs, or that you consider litigation against the contractor, if the costs of repair resulting from the defective work are high enough to make litigation costs reasonable, by comparison.
Hope this helps,
Bill Price
William A. Price, Attorney at Law
