Seeking Lawyer Recommendations for Co-op Homeowner vs. Contractor

Hello, Does anyone have a recommendation for a construction litigation lawyer? Dept. of Consumer Affairs informed me that the contractor that renovated my co-op apartment was not licensed after I submitted a complaint to get a refund for shoddy work. My only option to recoup the money is to take him to civil court. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

gloriag

in Lawyers and legal service 9 years and 3 months ago

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gloriag | 9 years and 3 months ago

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Thank you all for your replies! The cost to repair the shoddy work is extensive, and can’t be done without recouping what was paid already. I understand it can be a long and expensive battle, but that’s what I need to do next. I just need to find some who specializes in construction litigation which has been a challenge so far. Many thanks!

resident2 | 9 years and 3 months ago

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You may have a case against your management company. But as a respondent stated above, the costs of litigating may well be more than the cost of redoing the shoddy work and extremely time consuming.

concord | 9 years and 3 months ago

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If the contractor is not licensed the case would be a “slam dunk” if the aggrieved party is a ‘home owner”…not sure whether a co-op qualifies. In any event, you must consider whether you will ever be able to recover monies from the contractor – if unlicensed, probably ‘judgement proof’. Compare the cost to correct the shoddy work vs. legal expenses (a lot). You might be better off just using the money to correct the work and move on – Unless you need a “judgement’ to record a loss. My experience is that the first thing people say is; ‘lets sue the contractor’…Easy to sue, not so easy to collect, and it is very expensive! Construction litigation is not ‘child’s play’…there is no APP for that! My bill in the mail…

espeon | 9 years and 3 months ago

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The different licenses are issued by different agencies and serve different purposes. To rephrase more accurately, the DCA offers its consumer protection ony if the contractor in question has a DCA issued license which is the HIC license. The building management company should know better.

gloriag | 9 years and 3 months ago

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Thanks. Small claims isn’t an option. I need a lawyer. A licensed contractor has to be licensed with Dept. of Consumer Affairs to be consider licensed.

espeon | 9 years and 3 months ago

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Although there is no physical certificate or ID that is a general contractor’s license the act of “registering” the insurance policies with the DOB is considered being licensed. In fact the DOB refers to the registered person as a “Licensee” and the registration is done through the “Licensing Unit”. Different tiers of registration and insurance enable different scopes of work such as a remodel versus building a new highrise. Aside from this there are also Home Improvement Contractor and Salesperson licenses, the latter even comes with an ID with mugshot. http://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/license-types.page http://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/home-improvement-contractor-license.page

ellenlourie | 9 years and 3 months ago

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There is no such thing as a general contractor license. any contractor can submit insurance certificates to DOB and get tracking number. That’s it.

mozeeatupu | 9 years and 3 months ago

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Small claims, up to 5k, is a good option

gloriag | 9 years and 3 months ago

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I have no clue. He gave me a license from the Dept. of Buildings, and I did check that license to see if it was current. Being a first time homeowner and having never used a contractor before, I thought that license was the one needed. My co-op’s management company, that charged me application and review fees, didn’t question or catch that the license I submitted was not the correct one so I had idea that he was deceiving me.

neweco | 9 years and 3 months ago

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How was be able to pull permits without being licensed ? Also, did you check his license status before hiring ?