Kits for That

Contractor Dispute Letters, a $19 kit

Get a contractor to finish the job or return your money

Use it when a contractor took a deposit and never showed up, abandoned the job halfway, or did work that has to be redone. Answer nine questions and you get a formal notice and opportunity to cure, a demand letter with your payment ledger and legal grounds, and a final demand that comes before a licensing board complaint and court.

For homeowners with a contractor problem

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  • First letter free to read
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Self-help templates and general information, not legal advice.

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Your letters

You supply the facts and these templates put them in order. Read every line before you send or sign anything, and check that the deadlines and rules still match your state’s current law. These documents are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Tip: Save or print each document as a PDF before you start another. You can change the details and generate the kit again as often as you need.

Letter 1: notice and opportunity to cure

Send now. Courts and boards expect you to have sent it.

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The cure notice is step one. If the deadline passes, Letters 2 and 3 set out your payments and the next steps.

  • Letter 2: a formal demand with your payment ledger and the legal grounds that apply
  • Letter 3: a final demand before a licensing board complaint, a recovery fund claim where your state has a fund, and court
  • Your state’s contractor licensing board, its recovery fund if it has one, and how to use them
  • How to protect your home from liens: proof that subs and suppliers were paid, and lien waivers
  • An evidence checklist covering the contract, payments, photos and estimates from a second contractor
  • What not to put in writing, so your demand stays lawful and effective
  • Print or save as PDF, edit as often as you like, and use it on any of your own devices

Written by John Detty, 22 years a U.S. Navy Legalman. About the site

$19

One-time payment for Letters 2 and 3 and the guide.

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Self-help templates and general information. Not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Terms

Letter 2: formal demand

Send if the cure deadline passes
Unlock to see the full demand letter.

Letter 3: final demand before the board and court

By certified mail, as the last letter before you escalate
Unlock to see the final demand letter.

Your guide: boards, bonds, liens and common traps

Read before sending Letter 2
Included in the $19 kit.

About these documents

Made with Kits For That self-help templates (IdaMil LLC, kitsforthat.com) from the details you entered. Kits For That is not a law firm. These documents are not legal advice and are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Laws change, so confirm the current rules for your state before you rely on them. Keep this page for your records. It is not part of what you send.

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

Contractor disputes are a common consumer complaint. A licensing board can suspend a license, and in some states a recovery fund or the contractor’s surety bond can pay you back. Home-improvement statutes give you specific rights, and small claims court hears these cases regularly. Each of these works better when you have a written record of what you asked for and when.

  1. Give written notice and a chance to cure. It may feel generous, but it has a purpose: many states require an opportunity to cure before you sue, and boards and judges expect to see one. A short deadline in writing turns “he stopped answering my calls” into a documented default.
  2. Make a formal demand, with numbers. Lay out a ledger (contract price, amounts paid, the value of the work done, the cost to finish or redo it) along with the legal grounds. A clear ledger leaves little room to argue about the numbers, and it meets the demand-letter requirements some states impose.
  3. Escalate to the people who can act. Your options include a licensing board complaint (which puts the license at stake), a surety bond claim (many licensing states require one), a recovery fund, in states that have one (state money for people harmed by licensed contractors), the state attorney general, and small claims or civil court. The guide in the kit points 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, under contractor fraud or diversion of funds statutes). That decision belongs to police and prosecutors, and the guide explains how to report it properly. The kit follows one rule carefully: a demand letter can state facts and pursue civil remedies, but it should never threaten criminal prosecution to collect money, because that can create legal trouble for you. Report crimes to the authorities, and ask for your money in civil terms.

Mechanic’s liens on your house

If your contractor didn’t pay subcontractors or suppliers, they can sometimes put a lien on your home even though you paid the contractor. The kit’s letters ask for proof that subs were paid and for lien waivers, and the guide explains the preliminary-notice and waiver system that protects you.

Check the license. In states that license contractors, working without a license is a violation in itself, and in some (like California) an unlicensed contractor can be made to return everything you paid. Look up your contractor’s license status on your state board’s website. It is quick to do, and the answer can change your position in the dispute.

Contractor Dispute Letters provides self-help document templates and general information. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Kits For That is not a law firm. Contractor licensing, home-improvement, lien and consumer-protection laws vary a great deal by state and change over time, so check your state’s current rules. For large losses, structural defects or a threatened lien, talk to a construction attorney.

Who writes these. Kits For That is run by John R. Detty, who served 22 years as a U.S. Navy Legalman, the Navy’s paralegal rating, before retiring. He is not a lawyer, and nothing on this site is legal advice. About the site