I'm a contractor working on a residential project. The owner is in another state and has a tenant in the house. The tenant has been uncooperative and has become such a pain with verbal abuse and threats that we are not able to do our job competently. We are working with the insurance company liaison office and they have directed us to pull equipment from the job, which we did 2 days ago. The owner wants us to continue work, but the tenant doesn't allow us in the residence as of now. Does our company need to file a Stop Order at this time as we have not completed the job. We want to cover ourselves legally in case the owner refuses to pay for work done to date.
There's a lot to unpack here. If the tenant isn't letting you in the house, you can claim doing the work is impossible. Your contract with the property owner likely dictates how to handle this situation. A construction attorney can help you navigate what to do here once they have information about the contract you have the with homeowner, what the tenant is doing to stop you from working, your relationship with the insurance company, and the work you've already done.