If Iwas recently let go from a roofing job and the customeronly wants to pay half of my bill, amI stuck with the loss?
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If Iwas recently let go from a roofing job and the customeronly wants to pay half of my bill, amI stuck with the loss?
I was doing a roofing job and none of my subcontroctors showed up and so I was stuck doing the job on my own with just a helper and the customer’s son agreed to help out. I was also trying to finish up other projects as well. And the project took longer than planned. I was never contacted by the homeowner and I showed up and she hired someone else to finish. I have no complaints on that. We both agreed that she would pay me hourly instead of by the project. I sent my bill and didn’t hear from the homeowner for awhile and now wants to only pay half my bill.
Asked on February 1, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, North Dakota
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
The customer needs to pay you for all the work you did, pursuant to the agreement between you. If she doesn't pay what you've billed her voluntarily, you could sue her to collect the money. You would need to show the terms of the agreement and the work you did (e.g. the hours); she could try to defend herself by disputing the hours, or by trying to show that the work you completed was deficient, so she had to pay to have some of it redone (in addition to having to pay to finish the uncompleted work)--in that casee, she might be entitled to an offset against your bill for her cost; she could also try to dispute the hourly rate you and she agreed to.
You need to decide if, given that you would have to sue, it is worthwhile to pursue the amount of money at stake.
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