It is a crime for an unlicensed contractor to work without a license. If he is not licensed, you can file criminal charges and ask for a refund as restitution.

If he is licensed, you can filed a complaint with the home improvement commission.

You also could sue him for damages.

The regulations governing the adjudication of claims against the Guaranty Fund specify the formulas to be used by the Commission when calculating an award for actual loss from the Guaranty Fund:

Unless it determines that a particular claim requires a unique measurement, the Commission shall... View More

Performing a home improvement without a license is a criminal offense in Maryland, and the civil courts will not enforce the contract for the contractor. In other words, the contractor cannot legally accept payment, or sue you if you don’t pay, so no, you do not have to pay. I would immediately... View More

You are confusing two concepts. You might be physically able to occupy the premises, but perhaps not without governmental response. Without septic the property will not have a Use & Occupancy Certificate. The property will not pass any septic inspection called for in the real estate contract,... View More

Yes, a buyer can legally purchase a home in great condition, terrible condition or anything in between. People can purchase property without a home on it at all, or with a home they intend to bulldoze.

Now most of the time a bank will not lend money to a borrower to buy a home if it is... View More

That's like asking where do you find the law on crimes, or contracts, or divorce. Far too broad of a subject. There are so many sources of laws that apply to residential contruction contracts, including statutory, regulatory, common law, zoning and consumer aspects. If you have a specific... View More

The answer will depend on who owns what in your condo or HOA, who was responsible for the construction flaw, and who knew of the defect and concealed it. Unless the repair is worth less than the cost of the legal involvement, you may want to have the HOA docs, the advertising and closing docs, and... View More

Assuming this is for a residence, this is a home improvement project. By Maryland law, a contractor on a home improvement contract must hold a license from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC). The contract must comply with multiple legal requirements, among which is that a down... View More

She can file a complaint with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, which may take the case to the local prosecutor's office (in the county where the work was performed) and have charges filed against you for performing a home improvement without a license, a crime that carries possible... View More

If you think he has assets sufficient to satisfy your debt, consider a lawsuit in the courts. Depending on the amount to be claimed, you can sue in either the district or circuit courts. There are many causes of action for breach of a contract to provide construction services. You can also... View More

Typically, the SOL will run from the date of last performance of work or delivery of materials to the project, but contractual language may vary the due date of payment (like language that states payment is due 30 days after invoice, so the SOL starts there upon breach of the obligation to pay 30... View More

Generally, the SOL runs from the date of breach of a contract, or from the last date the money became due and remained unpaid. Sometimes, that is harder to nail down in some cases, and may depend on whether the subcontractor's claim is based upon a single contract to provide labor and... View More

I do not know whether it will prevent you from getting your improvement license. However, you may be eligible to get your record expunged. A probation before judgment can be expunged after three years. A conviction can be expunged 15 years after your conviction or the end of probation whichever is... View More

The Home Improvement Act is a regulatory statutory scheme for the benefit of protecting consumers, and the Guaranty Fund is established to provide a certain amount (up to $20,000) is available to reimburse a homeoewner for losses sustained at the hands of an unlicensed contractor or unworkmanlike... View More

If the contract does not prohibit it, they can use subcontractors. Why do you need a lien release? Have they filed a lien? It is unlikely that a window replacement contract would be a large enough percentage of your property value to qualify for a mechanics lien. Why have they sued you? Not enough... View More

The code section you site does not specifically refer to a construction zone violation, but is as follows: “A person may not willfully disobey any lawful order or direction of any police officer.” So the assumption is, a police officer was directing you to do something and you didn’t do it,... View More

If you do not have an attorney, then I certainly recommend that you hire one at this time to assist your in either enforcing the settlement agreement and/or reaching an alternate resolution-----a lot of times the insurance company will not proceed accordingly without an attorney on the other side.

Unless this is your own house, YES, you need a license. All improvements to a residence that you perform for a homeowner for money requires an MHIC license, and you are also solely responsible for obtaining all building permits for the job. A general construction license is not sufficient, and... View More

I know of no way to generalize to give you decent advice without reviewing the survey, running a title search for easements, and understanding exactly what the developer wants and needs. Generally, however, you do not need to agree with anything on your land unless your neighbor has an easement to... View More

Over the quote, or over the contract you and he signed? There's a vacuum of information here that needs to be filled in. You say no unexpected problems, but were all fixtures and materials specified, or did you constantly pick out expensive high-end products and materials after the quote... View More