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Trying to make home improvements can be tricky when trying to get everything together from getting approved by your city in a timely manner to picking the contractor that fits your specific needs. Here are five ways to avoid messy lawsuits as you go down the path of improving your home hat were posted on The Huffington Post.

1. Make sure to be clear with your contractor about what you want. Your contractor cannot possible guess what you want to change or how you want it done. It is vital to be specific, so you can end up with the desired final product.
2. Change orders happen when the homeowner changes the plans of the home improvement. This can alter the price of the final product and the completion time could be delayed. It is recommended to stick to the contract, if changes are necessary, they should be agreed upon and rewritten by the homeowner and the contractor.
3. It is important to stick to a deadline, as closely as possible. Most contractors use an American Institute of Architects Contract in order to avoid claims made by homeowners about missed deadlines. Therefore, homeowners should purchase insurance to cover the cost of possible rental expenses, if needed.
4. Building permits are essential before beginning any kind of home improvement. Also, a new Certificate of Occupancy must be issued by the municipality. This is done to ensure that the home improvement was done and completed by following the local laws.
5. Obtaining insurance, more specifically, general liability insurance will provide tranquility to the homeowner in the case that something goes south. There are many of scenarios in which having general liability insurance would be vital. Bodily injury, property damage, the contractor going bankrupt, environmental delays, etc. Therefore, homeowners should be familiar with the importance of obtaining insurance.

References

Lieb, Andrew. “Top 5 Ways to Avoid a Lawsuit While Getting Home Improvements.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Aug. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ways-to-avoid-a-lawsuit_b_5700607.html.

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