Hey everyone, I recently had some work done on my bathroom by someone a friend referred to me, and I paid them $7,000 for labor. Unfortunately, there were some major issues, like plumbing problems with my bidet toilet that are causing leaks. When I brought it up, the guy refused to fix it. My wife accidentally gave him the full payment via check before I could address these problems, but I managed to cancel the check through my bank. I told him I'd be willing to pay him once the issues were resolved, but he claimed he wasn't a licensed contractor when I asked for his license number. Now, I've been served with a small claims document because he's suing me over the cancelled check. My question is, does he have a legitimate claim since he's not licensed? I live in Los Angeles, California, by the way. Thanks for any insights!
3 Answers
This isn’t the right place for legal advice, but you should definitely stop all communications with him and consult a lawyer. Since you have damages, it’s not like you’re trying to dodge payment unfairly. In some states, you can withhold payment if the contractor isn’t properly licensed, and suing you might not go well for him. In court, you might end up being ordered to pay a reduced amount, if anything at all.
I’m not a lawyer, but it seems reasonable he wants to get paid, and you definitely want those issues fixed. If I were in your shoes, I’d gather some repair estimates and show them in court. You could suggest paying him less than the original amount, covering the repair costs.
Did you have any kind of contract for the job?
No, there was no formal contract.