If you are involved in a construction dispute, hiring a construction attorney can help you recover any financial losses associated with the dispute. From one or more violations of a construction contract to recovering the financial losses generated by property damage, a construction attorney can help you receive the compensation you deserve for the negligence committed by a general contractor or one of the special contractors working on your project.
Although helping clients receive the compensation they deserve is one of a construction lawyer’s primary responsibilities, a construction attorney can save you money as well. In fact, with the following four situations, a construction attorney can save you thousands of dollars.
Negotiate a Settlement
Most construction disputes never reach the trial phase of the litigation process. Instead, both parties try to negotiate a settlement that is agreeable to both the property owner and the general contractor overseeing a residential construction project. Going to trial represents a costly and time-consuming process that if avoided through negotiating a favorable settlement, can save you thousands of dollars.
Your construction attorney submits an initial offer to settle, before several rounds of counter offers can follow until both parties resolve their legal differences.
Avoid a Mechanic’s Lien
A mechanic’s lien represents a legal document that grants a general contractor the right to seek payment for construction services that a property owner has not yet provided compensation. Contractors file a mechanic’s lien to get paid for work already completed and/or for the materials used for a residential construction project. For example, a property owner withholds payment for the last $10,000 due on a swimming pool construction project because of one or more defects. In addition to filing a civil lawsuit for breach of contract, the general contractor also can file a mechanic’s lien against your property.
Facing the filing of a mechanic’s lien on your property can lead to serious financial consequences that include making it unlikely that you can sell your home while the mechanic’s lien is filed against your property.
Review of a Construction Contract
A construction attorney addresses several business law issues besides representing a client during a civil lawsuit. You should consider hiring an experienced construction lawyer to review a construction contract before you sign it. General contractors have much more experience drafting contracts than the experience compiled by residential property owners. A construction attorney can save you a considerable amount of money by detecting fine print in a construction contract that includes adding certain hidden fees to the final bill.
Moreover, a construction contract reviewed by an attorney is much easier to enforce if your case goes to trial.
Prevent Costly Disputes
Another way a construction attorney can save you thousands of dollars concerns the development of expensive construction disputes. Not only does a construction dispute cost you money in terms of fighting back against the filing of a civil lawsuit and/or mechanic’s lien, but a construction dispute also delays the completion of a residential construction project. Project delays can cost you thousands of dollars for just a few missed days.
From reviewing a construction contract to interacting with the general contractor, avoiding construction disputes represents an effective way to save money.