Letters that get results
For homeowners burned by a contractor

They took your money.
Send the letters that get it back.

Deposit taken and no one shows up. Job abandoned halfway. Work so bad it has to be redone. Answer 9 quick questions and get a formal notice and opportunity to cure, a demand letter with your payment ledger and legal grounds, and the final demand that comes before the licensing board, the recovery fund, and court. Ready in 2 minutes.

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Letter 1The notice & opportunity to cure — reasonable, dated, provable.
Letter 2The formal demand with your payment ledger and legal grounds.
Letter 3The final demand before the licensing board, bond claim & court.

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Letter 1 — Notice & Opportunity to Cure

Send now — courts and boards expect you to have sent this

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The cure notice is step one. Letters 2 and 3 are for contractors who think you'll just go away.

  • Letter 2: formal demand with your payment ledger and the legal grounds that apply
  • Letter 3: final demand before the licensing board, recovery fund & court
  • Your state's contractor licensing board and recovery fund, and how to use them
  • The lien-protection moves: proof subs & suppliers were paid, lien waivers
  • The evidence checklist: contract, payments, photos, second-contractor estimates
  • ⚠️ What NOT to put in writing (so your demand stays legal and effective)
  • Print / save as PDF, unlimited edits, lifetime access on this device
$19

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Letter 2 — The Formal Demand

Send if the cure deadline passes

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Letter 3 — Final Demand Before Board & Court

Certified mail — the last letter before you escalate

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Your Playbook — Boards, Bonds, Liens & Traps

Read before sending Letter 2

🔒 Included in the $19 kit.

What to do when a contractor takes your money and doesn't deliver

Contractor disputes are one of the most common consumer complaints in America — and one of the most winnable, because homeowners have leverage most never use: licensing boards that can suspend a license, recovery funds and surety bonds that pay real money, home-improvement statutes with teeth, and small claims courts that see these cases every week. But every one of those doors opens with the same key: a written demand trail. The sequence:

  1. Give written notice and a chance to cure. It feels generous, but it's strategic — many states require an opportunity to cure before you sue, and boards and judges expect it. A short deadline in writing turns "he stopped answering my calls" into a documented default.
  2. Demand formally, with numbers. A ledger — contract price, amounts paid, value of work actually done, cost to finish or redo — plus the legal grounds. This is the letter that gets lawyers' attention when the contractor forwards it, and it satisfies demand-letter prerequisites some states impose.
  3. Escalate where it hurts. The licensing board complaint (license on the line), the surety bond claim (real money in most licensing states), the recovery fund (state money for victims of licensed contractors), the state attorney general, and small claims or civil court. The playbook routes you to the right ones for your state.

Is what my contractor did a crime?

In some states, taking a deposit and abandoning the work can be prosecuted (for example, contractor fraud or diversion of funds statutes) — that's a decision for police and prosecutors, and the playbook explains how to report it properly. One important rule the kit follows carefully: a demand letter can state facts and pursue civil remedies, but should never threaten criminal prosecution to collect money — that can backfire legally. Report crimes to authorities; demand money in civil terms.

What about a mechanic's lien on my house?

If your contractor didn't pay subcontractors or suppliers, they can sometimes lien your home even though you paid the contractor. The kit's letters demand proof of payment to subs and lien waivers, and the playbook covers the preliminary-notice and waiver system that protects you.

Unlicensed contractor? In license states, working without a license is itself a violation — and in some (like California) an unlicensed contractor can be forced to return everything you paid. Check your contractor's license status on your state board's site — it takes two minutes and changes your whole negotiation.

Contractor Dispute Letters provides self-help document templates and general information, not legal advice, and is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney. Contractor licensing, home-improvement, lien, and consumer-protection laws vary significantly by state and change over time — verify your state's current rules. For large losses, structural defects, or lien threats, consult a construction attorney.

Built by John R. Detty — 22 years as a U.S. Navy Legalman, retired. Two decades in Navy legal offices taught me one thing: the right paper, sent the right way, gets results. Not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice — just paperwork that means business.