Home Building Leaves a Family Problematic
Building a new home has been stressful for Don Armitage’s Family as they encounter problems with their land title and the contractor they hired. It has been three years already and they still cannot move into their new home, even this Christmas, for their issues might remain unresolved.
The building permits that Don Armitage has pulled have included accommodations for his wheelchair-bound son with muscular dystrophy, Gregory. But since they cannot move in to the new home now, Gregory temporarily lives with her mother and goes to his 24-foot trailer at the back of his father’s home during weekends. It has been really hard for the case of Gregory.
Home building has never been easy than what the Armitage family have thought. Yes, they owned the property for it has been with their family for more than 50 years. They pay taxes but the title is still under the previous owner’s name. The merger Don has applied for cannot be approved until the title is cleared so he has to work with a title company and hire an attorney.
Another problem is the contractor. The contract of the Armitages has no Disability Act accommodations. Also, they have suspected the contractor of overcharging since he does not issue receipts or detailed costs. Because of this, the Armitages hired an attorney, but the contractor stopped construction and quit. After a few weeks, the contractor demanded for the final payment saying that his job was completed.
The Contractors State License Board recognizes that problems between clients and contractors root from a contract. That is why it is important to put every deal into writing, a contract. This will state the detailed description of work and all the costs, signed by both parties.
In home building, consumers must find a reputable contractor by consulting the local building department, fraud investigation unit, trade association, office of the district attorney, and the Better Business Bureau.
