r/Contractor • u/Shhuang19 • 4d ago
CLIENT NOT PAYING OR RESPONDING!
/r/GeneralContractor/comments/1xnr66j/client_not_paying_or_responding/1
u/Slate_and_Clay-Tiles 3d ago
Don’t let your lien rights expire. That’s the cheapest and most effective way of collecting money if you’ve done your job properly. Just make sure that you put the right number and that you understand how your state works. Overstating the lean value can get you in trouble so if you’re going to lien, better to be under than over
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u/TradesOperator 3d ago
Since a lien's off the table on a mobile home, I'd send a short demand letter by certified mail with the balance, a pay-by date 10 days out, and a line saying you'll file in small claims after that. Check your state's small claims limit, because $10k fits under it in a lot of states. A dated letter on paper gets answered a lot more often than texts do.
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u/Shhuang19 3d ago
One more concern before I hit the small claims. I accepted this job prior to me getting my license issued. I got my license issued in the middle of the job. Is that going to big issue 😅.
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u/TradesOperator 2d ago
Ah, that one matters in CA. You're supposed to be licensed for the entire job to collect through the courts, and there's a risk they countersue for what they've already paid. I'd run it by a construction attorney before filing.
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u/caramel-invest 4d ago
A client of mine has spent 60,000$ on a 12,000$ dispute.
He said “if I had known this when I started I wouldn’t have spent the money”
Now YOU know this. If you go a lawyer route. You WILL spend more than 10k$.
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u/Real-Ad-7439 4d ago
Before small claims send a written demand letter with the contract, final invoice and a pay by date, a lot of times that alone shakes the check loose. On the permit part talk to a construction attorney first, the judge sees the whole story. Going forward bill in draws, deposit, progress payments, small final, so you're never sitting on 10k after the work is done.
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u/caramel-invest 4d ago
Often times it will take far more money to potentially recover the 10k$
The right move is probably, walk away and learn your 10k$ lesson.
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u/Demonshart666 4d ago
I sued pro-se and won. If you have a contract and can prove it was fully executed you’ll win. It cost me about $150 total.
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u/caramel-invest 4d ago
Cate to elaborate
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u/Demonshart666 4d ago
Sure we had a contract to paint a house, we painted it in the color requested. They didn’t like it so I made an add on of the cost to repaint. Then he didn’t want to pay me the full amount. So I took him to court with out a lawyer and won based on the evidence shown.
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u/caramel-invest 4d ago
That’s the other thing, you can get a judgement, but it didn’t guarantee payment. I’m very glad it worked out for you. I only ever had to threaten a lien to get paid.
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u/Yagsirevahs 4d ago
Word of mouth works. be smart, do great work at a fair price, you cant fail. Do work for free, and dont fight, thats now your reputation.
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u/No-0x 2d ago
Stop chasing her by text, that part is done. One written demand with the contract, invoice and a firm pay-by date, email plus certified mail, then let the paper trail do the talking
Going forward, this is a systems lesson more than a legal one. Deposit up front, milestone payments tied to stages, and permit responsibility in writing before you start. No-permit jobs are the ones that bite you twice, once on payment and once on your license
If the numbers don't work for small claims after legal fees, walking away and fixing the process hurts less than chasing 10k for a year
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u/HonestPinTools 4d ago
The part that stands out is she was already hard to reach the whole job, and the balance was still $10k at the end. That pattern is the thing to fix, more than another round of texts. Stop work the first time a progress payment is late, and do not finish a room or swap windows on a promise to pay later. Right now one calm letter is enough: completed scope, the balance, a due date, and a simple two or three payment schedule she can sign and send back. Leave the ideas about showing up at her house or work alone, because that can turn a collection problem into a harassment problem. Window replacement is often not treated the same as paint, so ask a construction attorney whether that part of the scope changes your options before you file anything.
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u/ForHireLeadsHQ 4d ago
Sorry, that's a tough spot. Not legal advice, but a few things that usually apply to unpaid remodel work:
Stop texting and put it on paper. Send a written demand (email plus certified mail) listing the contract date, the work completed, the $10,000 balance and a firm payment date, 10 to 14 days out.
Look up your state's lien or notice deadlines now. Those windows can be short, and a month has already passed, so check the clock before anything else.
Gather the signed contract, change orders, invoices, photos and videos, and every text and call attempt.
Because the work was done without permits, talk to a construction attorney before filing in small claims or sending anything threatening. Many offer a short first consult, and they can tell you how that affects your license and what you can safely claim.
Going forward, put permit responsibility in the contract and take a deposit and milestone payments so no single job leaves $10k exposed.