We are often hired to do annual inspections by a restaurant manager. Is my role a general contractor?
1 reply
May 22, 2019
Terms like "General Contractor" or "Prime Contractor" can cause confusion, especially around lien and notice requirements and deadlines. Sometimes, it is helpful to think about both as just different terms for "direct contractor" as in a contractor who has a direct contract with the property owner or property owner's agent.
Many times construction participants are *direct contractors* but don't consider themselves "General Contractors" due to the connotations of that term. Parties like roofing contractors may contract directly with the property owner or his/her representative, but not employ the subs or manage other project aspects like many people assume a GC does.
For construction payment, what matters is the identity of the party with whom one contracts, not necessarily the nature of the work performed. If one contracts with the property owner or owner's agent to perform work they are a direct/GC/prime contractor; if their contract to perform work is with a contractor, they are a sub