Let’s say I sign a contract with contractor A but permits are pulled by contractor B. Bs company is also listed on the permit not the company you signed the contract with. Is contractor B an actual qualifying agent or a “rented” license.
If contractor B was an actual qualifying agent,... View More

answered on Nov 17, 2023
In general, all qualifying agents' licenses should be publicly available on the DBPR's website, although there is the possibility that the application is in process or has not yet been posted due to administrative lag. While there is zero factual context for this question,... View More
In state of Florida when you build you new home construction as a owner you are required to live there for 1 year period. What happen when you have to move out during the one year period and sell before the 1 year period. Move out due to family emergency and move out completely out of Florida. What... View More

answered on Nov 17, 2023
Unfortunately, there is no exception in Florida statutes to the one year owner builder residency requirement for "family emergencies". The exact language of the statute provides that "proof of the sale or lease, or offering for sale or lease, of any such structure by the... View More
Contract signed Nov 2022. Construction began April 2023. Completion date is still unknown. Glass tiles were installed and they are the incorrect color. Tile company will replace the product fro free, but the builder wants to charge us $3K to remove the old tile and install the new tile. Builder... View More

answered on Nov 16, 2023
Typically, the contractor is responsible for ensuring the work meets the plans and specifications and scope of work for the project. This situation sounds as if this contractor is somehow trying to shift the responsibility for supervising the quality of work on you, the homeowner. Unfortunately,... View More
We paid 4000 to start and 36,000 for the pool shell. The next payment would have been for pavers and then a payment to finish the job. However, we found out that the new owner was not a lisenced contractor and had used the old owners name and lisece on the contract. This was reported to the... View More

answered on Nov 1, 2023
I am sorry to learn of this truly unfortunate situation. Needless to say, there are many moving parts resulting from this complex fact pattern, including the property damage to the home, the damage to the existing shell and voiding of the warranty, never mind the fact this entity appears to have... View More
I paid an architect for house plans, their in-house general contractor can't build the house within my budget as promised in the beginning so I found a general contractor who can build within my budget but the architect is refusing to release the CAD plans to him rendering the plans I've... View More

answered on Aug 3, 2023
This is an unfortunate situation, however, when dealing with a builder's new home architect, it is likely that the plans are merely a repetition with slight variation on plans the architect has previously designed for the builder and for which the builder may own the license rights. It would... View More
The client signed my contract to add a pool to a home under construction & will not close on the home. Do I have to refund the pool deposit? The Florida pool contract was signed on 4/3/2023 it states in numerous places a 3-day cancellation policy. I was notified about 70 days later that the... View More

answered on Jul 24, 2023
Unfortunately, as with almost all issues involving construction disputes, a review of the terms and conditions of the entire written agreement, the very specific facts, and application of any relevant statutory provisions is required to provide anything more than the most general of responses.... View More
What can I do, with this cash purchase of this new construction, which dragged two years long and is still not nearly done? There're two liens on it, too, that are unpaid. Realtor said she is finding a new builder to finish the house, but new builder wouldn't give a finishing date. 90%... View More

answered on Jun 16, 2023
You have to be careful how you terminate the contract with the initial general contractor. Construction/lien laws are pretty strict. I bet this GC will claim he is owed money too. I'd highly recommend retaining a lawyer in order to move on to the new builder. In fact, some builders may not... View More
The windows were bought and installed by Lowes in 2019. We just recently discovered they are all pulling away from our home at the top, allowing daylight, air, wetness in from the outside. You can see mold visibly in some spots. I, myself have had continuous breathing issues to the point that I had... View More

answered on May 24, 2023
You indicated that numerous lawyers have told you they cannot be of help. Did they provide the specific reasons, including principles of law and issues of proof, that caused them to decline the matter? That's step number one - to meet with a lawyer (either in person or virtually) to go over... View More
The contract was initiated 2 years ago and we finally got settlement through litigation from the insurance company. In the mean time the representative of the roofing company is no longer employed by them...we don't know if he ever had signing rights for the company. He tried to get us to use... View More

answered on Mar 14, 2023
The factual scenario of this question suggests that the construction agreement in question was an "assignment of benefits" contract wherein you as the homeowner contracted with the roofing contractor and assigned insurance benefits to it. Florida law on AOB agreements was significantly... View More
The owner disputed and file a motion to dismiss as all invoices presented by the General Contractor was paid. The owner submitted copies of the contract and all payments made. Due to a missing defendant's name in the power of attorney letter (for property manager), the case was never heard... View More

answered on Mar 14, 2023
When a default judgment has been entered, in this case presumably by the judge and not simply a clerk's default, it is long past time for the property owner to obtain actual legal advice from an experienced construction litigator as to the specific facts of this matter. There may be grounds... View More
I want to make sure that I my relationship with a contractor is terminated when they cash my check

answered on Jan 31, 2023
Yes, the Florida statute that governs Full and Final Accord and Satisfaction is Florida Statute 673.3111. You have to tender the check with proper notice for it to be effective. Also, it depends what your contract with the contractor says. You can't just write a check for a dollar and call it... View More
Signed contract in April, gave 25% deposit, nothing has yet to be done, they have failed 2 categories of permit application, and still no real updates as to when they will get approval and be able to start? At what point do I have rights here to cancel and get my money back? Or will this forever... View More

answered on Dec 16, 2022
To obtain a reliable opinion, you must schedule a consultation with an attorney who will review the contract.
The problem that you write about, a contractor dragging its feet, is very common. Generally, a contractor's failure to meet a predicted project completion date is not... View More
I hired a pool contractor in Miami to build a pool and gave 20% down ($10K). In the permitting process, it was discovered that previous owners had enclosed the garage without a permit. The pool permit was rejected. The city of Miami's process to get this fixed takes over two years. I informed... View More

answered on Nov 9, 2022
This clause does not apply here. This clause reads IF OWNER FAILS OR REFUSES TO PERMIT DELIVERY OF MATERIALS .... INTERRUPTS OR INTERFERES WITH CONTRACTOR ......CONTRACTOR WILL BE DUE A SUM EQUAL TO 25% OF TOTAL CONTRACT PRICE". You did not fail to do anything or refuse to do anything. You are... View More
I hired a company to replace the windows and sliding glass doors in my home with high-impact hurricane glass. My home is in Bradenton, FL.
Agreement was signed in April 2021. The work was started, but is still not fully completed. I have already paid half the agreed upon costs. I... View More

answered on Nov 9, 2022
This happens quite often, unfortunately. You can give them a notice for them to act immediately warning them you will hire another company if they do not. If they still do not work to complete the project, you can hire another company and keep all the records. You also have right to ask them to pay... View More
Before it could be completed Ian destroyed the cage. The pool equipment is on site. Never connected to electricity and pool never received its interior finish. Who technically owned the pool. Should it be the homeowner or pool builders responsibility to replace the cage to get the project moving... View More

answered on Oct 31, 2022
You should read your contract for "risk of loss" provisions. Most likely, however, it is your cage because it was already delivered to your property, and you are responsible. I'd ask for the contractor's insurance, maybe it'd cover it (small chance).
Signed a contract May 7/2020. To date nothing has been done and the builder is not answering questions.
Real estate attorney

answered on Oct 19, 2022
Hello. It is really going to depend on the exact wording of the contract, specifically as to dates and time for completion. You should set up a free consultation with a contract attorney, have them go over the wording of the contract, and tell you what your options are. My firm provides such... View More

answered on Nov 17, 2023
There are attorneys who specialize in contractor licensing issues. One such lawyer is Chris Cobb of Cobb Gonzalez in Jacksonville. Chris regularly presents continuing legal education to other construction counsel on licensing issues and is well respected in this area of law.
We have a customer who was going to purchase a house but first, it needed some electrical work in order to be covered by insurance, which the homeowner did not want to pay out of pocket for. Our customer paid us and we completed the work. The homeowner ended up backing out of the sale and leaving... View More

answered on Sep 27, 2023
It makes sense that your customer would file a lien. Talk to an attorney about the specifics in your case.
We had an independent contractor help us at a daily rate. We own a handyman business and needed an extra set of hands. He botched the job significantly and caused property damage to our home and property. Our truck has overspray all over it, drive way is covered in paint, mailbox covered in paint... View More

answered on Jun 30, 2023
Yes, sounds like you may have a claim for damages. The question is- how much? It may or may not be worth hiring a lawyer.
Good luck.
Dec. 3, 2021 I signed a contract with Hydrotech pools for building a pool in my backyard.
Now this company does not exist anymore. All the people I had contact with are not at the company anymore. I was at their office and it was empty, like abandoned. I paid everything except an amount of... View More

answered on Oct 1, 2022
You probably can't sue the owner, assuming the company is a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation; that's what limited liability is all about. While there are possible scenarios under which you might be able to "pierce the corporate veil". it's not likely that you... View More
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