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Unlicensed Contractor

GeorgiaConstruction ContractLicensesRecovery Options

Through Home advisor I hired a contractor to fix my grandmother's roof, floor and toilet. The contractor misrepresented himself. He was only authorized to doing flooring not roofing or plumbing. To make a long story short--we signed a contract & half-way through the 1st task: roofing, he changed the price allegedly due to unforseen damage under the shingles. He said house had a double roof. The price increased substantially. He walked off the job with the roof half done leaving house uninhabitable. Home advisor said he was new to their site & only signed up Gor flooring jobs. I live in another state & since discovered that the contractor is not LICENSED and actually subcontracted the job to someone else. Do I have any options? Thanks!

2 replies

May 22, 2020
The options available will change dramatically depending on what your desired outcomes are. Still, let's look at a few different courses of action. For one, if a contractor has signed up for work they aren't licensed to perform, then you should consider making a complaint to Georgia's licensing board. Alternatively, threatening to report them to the licensing board and using that leverage might be worth considering, too. Either way - you can make a complaint or find more information here: Submit a Complaint. Further, reporting the contractor to the attorney general's office could be useful to make sure the contractor doesn't prey on anyone else. Threatening or actually pursuing legal claims could be an option, too. If the contractor walked off the job, a breach of contract claim should likely be available. If they held themselves out as a licensed contractor or otherwise lied in order to get the work - then additional claims should be on the table too. And, simply threatening to take them to task could push a contractor to do the right thing and continue some of the work or to return project funds. Consulting with a Georgia construction attorney could help to clarity the options available on that front. Alternatively, if the dispute is less than $15,000, taking them to small claims court could streamline that legal recovery process and keep costs down. Though, it'd still be wise to first consult with a GA attorney for help deciding what claims to bring and for guidance on procedure.
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May 22, 2020
Sounds like sound advice! Thanks!
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