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if I'm a fence subcontractor for a contractor can they just take money off of my invoice?

Anonymous Contractor

so for a while now the contractor has been changing my invoices with no explanation they never gave me a price sheet to follow or go by. nor have they ever had me sign a contract. every job is different so pricing fluctuates but I never have over charged. but how would I know if I over charged if there is nothing to go by right? I mean we are talking about $10,000.00 plus dollars

1 reply

Matt Viator

Construction Lawyer

Levelset Admin at Levelset

| 1,015 reviews

Mar 12, 2020

It's important to use written contracts for a variety of reasons. Without one, it's hard to pin down how your work should be priced, and it's hard to know how, exactly, things like back charges should be handled. When there isn't a written contract, a contractor should still provide back charges in writing, and they should still justify why they're being made at all. And, it's perfectly reasonable for a subcontractor to request that information from their customer when that isn't happening. With all of that being said - no, a contractor can't simply back charge whatever they'd like. And, all of their reductions on your invoices should be explainable and made for a good reason. Though, again - it will be hard to challenge a contractor's back charging as improper if there's no documentation showing what the price should have been and why the back charges were made. For more discussion on back charges: What Are “Back Charges” in Construction?

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