How To Resolve Disputes With Your Contractor

Building a home can be a stressful and complicated process and despite best intentions on your part as well as your contractor/builder, there can be various instances of misunderstanding or conflict. If you find yourself in such a situation heed the advice in the tips listed below to try to resolve any conflict with your builder/contractor effectively.

Talk It Out Face To Face

It is always better to talk about any issues with construction quality, time line, schedule etc., face to face and on site. You will be able to put forth any points regarding construction while conducting a walk through and pointing out deficiencies while the contractor will be able to offer an explanation similarly. This provides a chance to the contractor to explain to you in layman's terms why there may have been a snag in the schedule or why certain materials were replaced with others due to on-site constraints and any slowdown due to weather related or any other unprecedented issues that may have arisen during construction.

Talk to your contractor

Give The Contractor The Benefit Of Doubt

Making a complaint is usually the first step to finding a resolution, and it is only reasonable to expect the contractor to offer a reasonable solution. Give the contractor the benefit of doubt and work with him on the premise that he too, exactly like you, would like to reach an amicable solution while giving you the results you desire. When approaching any problem as a team rather than an adversary, you encourage the contractor by asserting your faith in his skills as a professional and any dispute is far less likely to get complicated.

Keep Records

If you have not already kept detailed records of all interactions and written records of commitments, now is the time to start. Records of conversations and photographic evidence will help you hold your contractor to commitments regarding quality and time schedule, and will eventually protect you against inferior standard work and additional monetary costs. Records safeguard both the client and the contractor, and are a good business practice for the service provider as well as the client.

Keep detailed records 

Be Prepared To Replace Your Contractor

Explain your needs and goals to your contractor in detail and back up all interactions with records of receipts and written estimates, etc. If things fail to improve, with the contractor still delivering shoddy work or failing to deliver on time after making a commitment, you will have to lay out the consequences of unprofessional work and inform the contractor that you may not require his services any more and will not be giving him any further business in the future or recommending him to friends and family.