Death of construction company owner and how to move forward

[Fulthrotl]

Wife called. Says, "We owe you money. We want to have the customers pay you directly."

I don't want to get my hopes up, but this is looking like a favorable solution.

yep. most folks are honorable.

 

[jaylectricity]

As long as that does not involve the customer double paying for money already collected from the customer but not yet paid to you....

Really? That's where you think this is at? No, the point is that the invoices I had submitted were for jobs for customers that hadn't yet paid the final bill. Up until now, once the customers paid the final bill, I was paid. Sometimes I was paid before that, but always at least when the final bill was paid.

Why would the customer even pay me after paying the construction company? I'm really trying to wrap my head around what you thought you meant by that.

 

[JFletcher]

Really? That's where you think this is at? No, the point is that the invoices I had submitted were for jobs for customers that hadn't yet paid the final bill. Up until now, once the customers paid the final bill, I was paid. Sometimes I was paid before that, but always at least when the final bill was paid.

Why would the customer even pay me after paying the construction company? I'm really trying to wrap my head around what you thought you meant by that.

I did some work for a slimeball GC once that stiffed me and other subs. I presented that info to a home owner. Despite the fact he had paid the GC for services rendered, and work wasnt completed, he did pay me what I was due; probably feared me putting a lien on his property or just felt bad (plus, it wasnt much, a few hundred). A second HO basically told me to pound sand.

 

[__dan]

Really? That's where you think this is at? No, the point is that the invoices I had submitted were for jobs for customers that hadn't yet paid the final bill. Up until now, once the customers paid the final bill, I was paid. Sometimes I was paid before that, but always at least when the final bill was paid.

Why would the customer even pay me after paying the construction company? I'm really trying to wrap my head around what you thought you meant by that.

Your contract was with the GC. The homeowner is a third party in the contract. Typically third parties have no rights or obligations under the contract. That's not the only legal doctrine that applies but it's ... typical.

If the GC was paid for your work by the homeowner and failed to pay you the amount collected, that's intent to commit fraud (by the GC). That's also typical.

For the amounts involved, it's not worth anyone's time to pay lawyers to volley back and forth various legal doctrines, unjust enrichment ...

Lien it and let them try to prove your lien is defective.

If the job is incomplete and they want the job finished, quote enough to cover your time and added hassle.

Some people are compulsively honest and will do what is necessary to see you are settled. Some people are equally compulsively liars and shysters, who get excited by cheating their way through. The deal has to have some cheating twist for them to like it.

A lot depends on the customer, many of whom fail basic tests of honesty like this one (paying for work honestly performed). The path the cheats will take is predestined and determined long before you started work there. Honest people with money to spend are much more rare. The honest people will pay quickly or make some arrangement to pay in the future.

Submit your invoices and demand letter are see what happens. We would all be millionaires if we could predict who will pay and who will not.

 

[GoldDigger]

Really? That's where you think this is at? No, the point is that the invoices I had submitted were for jobs for customers that hadn't yet paid the final bill. Up until now, once the customers paid the final bill, I was paid. Sometimes I was paid before that, but always at least when the final bill was paid.

Why would the customer even pay me after paying the construction company? I'm really trying to wrap my head around what you thought you meant by that.

I meant exactly what I said, since I did not have your knowledge that the GC was an upright guy and his business was not in trouble. If you had made that clear in your post I would have made sure that my statement was phrases as a hypothetical for other people's situations and not applicable to yours.

 

[jaylectricity]

I meant exactly what I said, since I did not have your knowledge that the GC was an upright guy and his business was not in trouble. If you had made that clear in your post I would have made sure that my statement was phrases as a hypothetical for other people's situations and not applicable to yours.

You could have read the thread. I made it pretty clear in some of the earlier posts.