Burned By Client

mschcon

A friend who is a liscenced painter for 20 years had a current occupational license but didn't update his comp card had a homeowner not pay him.
What good is an occupational licence if you can't work with it.

copusbuilder

Not sure what that means....does a license guarantee payment?

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AkA Richard Cranium

robtlem

I have won in small claims, but that is no guarantee of payment either, and is a real pain because you must take time to go to court. Another contractor said he goes straight for a lien on the house. It really gets their attention. In my contract with clients I have it stated that " Client agrees to pay any legal fees required to collect pass due amounts." I charge hourly and when they question the above I tell them they can cancel anytime but they owe for time worked. I have never had a contract canceled and have been called back regularly.

Bleed

It depends where your friend painter is located at. Please, put the location in your profile.

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http://www.cgcenterprises.com Basement finishing, Basement remodeling, Kitchen remodeling, Bathroom remodeling
Fellow Contractors My Maps

bwalley

Where are you located?

Many places you are required to have an Occupationla License (Business tax), but you are also required to have a competency license (Contractors License)in the area in which you are contracting.

the Occupational License is not a License, it is a business tax.

In Florida there is a specialty license for painting, also all Division 1 license's such a General, Building and Residential contractors have that as part of their listed jobs they can legally do.

The homewoner may be within their rights not to pay an unlicensed contractor.

Many people in Florida know the law and they will knowingly hire an unlicensed contractor and then after the job is done they will refuse to pay them and since the unlicensed contractor has NO lien rights and can not sue the homeowner, ther is NOTHING the unlicensed contractor can do, the unlicensed contractor can also be sued for triple damages by the homeowner.

platinumLLC

Wait till one of those non licensed guys the homeowner hires falls off a ladder and sues the homeowner for thier house. Or wait till the homeowner doesn't pay and they come home to find thier house trashed.

I think it's a great way to weed out the hacks but i would be a little worried if i was the homeowner

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skyhook

Non payment ho is asking for trouble. In this economy, non payment is a death warrant. (jmo)

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bwalley

Property owners are liable for unlicensed workers being hurt on their property, with the way the laws are in Florida it would be a mistake for a person to trash or vandalize a persons house.

I am a Licensed contractor and once a something is installed in a house, even if the client doesn't pay me, I can not legally remove it, there are other remedies for payment.

platinumLLC

I understand that property owners are liable and that is why i mentioned that the unlicensed guy will own the house if they fall.

If the unlicensed worker doesn't care enough about the laws to get their license he isn't going to care about the laws when it comes to vandalizing someones house when they don't pay.

I understand that us licensed guys can't go trashing someones house when they don't pay and that we have to go other legal routes but as mentioned by yourself these unlicensed guys don't have any means of going after the homeowner when they don't pay.

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