Can we walk away from a job, without legal fault?
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Can we walk away from a job, without legal fault?
We have a contract with a homeowner to finish their garage. In our contract we said we would finish in “one calender month from the day work begins” we never established a start date. we have taken an extra week to complete the project but now the customer refuses to pay the remaining money that the contract does explicitlystate that they owe. Our terms in the contract about start and finish date were very very vague, and not intentionally but we outlined a payment schedule very very clearly (specific dates, unconditionally) and they have emailed us saying they refuse to pay until fall.
Asked on July 30, 2012 under Business Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
If you are a licensed contractor doing a work of improvement for a customer who is not paying, you cannot simply walk off the job without completing the proper paperwork as required by your state contractor's licensing board and serving such on the homeowner.
I see problems from your end by having a vague contract which you and the professional were required to have in proper form under state law. From what you have written, I suggest that you consult with an attorney that practices construction law to give you guidance as to how you should proceed on your matter.
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