Legal Question in Business Law in Washington

contract

Im a remodeling Contractor.The owner of the home to be remodeled had 2 contractors to look at his project.one being me.i called him back within 1 hour to give him a price. The owner asked if i could start this day and i agreed to start this day.I had my contract signed by the owner to start the job for a certain amount of money.after 2 hrs. of laying out and planing,The owners father came to me and told me to stop work becouse his son did not want any more work done and to take our tools.

Never have i seen this befor????

What is my legal stand on this since he agreed by signing my contract. I beleive the other Contractor had a lower bid than me.But he still signed my contract to do the job.

Could i still charge him for th 2 hours of work plus 2 hours of my time to get the paper work ready and extra labor help for the job.

If he does not pay what i ask, should I use a Lien?

Thank you for your time--M Largen


Asked on 12/12/01, 11:15 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Andrew Hay Hay Law Firm

Re: contract

You appear to have a binding contract. By cancelling the contract, he is responsible to you for the profit you would have made on the job, less any profit you make on any replacement job you were able to do because of his cancellation. Thus, if you bill him just for the time you spent on his job, he may be getting a break. However, if you were able to take on a more profitable job during the time you would have worked on his job, then you have no financial injury and no damage.

You are entitled to file a lien. A lien may provoke him to get an attorney who will look for defenses to your claim. You may need your own attorney to respond and those costs can quickly become more than what is owed. With a small amount in dispute, I suggest sending a bill for your wasted time. If you do choose to pursue a lien, it must be done within ninety days of your last day working at the site. My phone no. for questions is 253-272-2400.

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Answered on 12/13/01, 1:22 pm


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