How to Handle Being Charged for Damage Your Foreclosure Cleaning Company Did Not Cause
As a smaller foreclosure cleanup business, you can offer your services on a subcontracting basis for work such as general cleaning, changing locks, window and door boarding, lawn maintenance, repairs, painting, winterization, interior trash-outs, exterior debris removal, etc. and more. As you work on these properties, you will find that you may be one of many subcontractors working on a home.
Who’s to Blame?
Some foreclosure cleaning business owners want to know how to protect themselves from getting blamed for damage that occurs to a property after they’ve worked Kamagra on a home, when the damage may have been caused by another contractor.
For example, a colleague of mine who owns a foreclosure cleanup company recently won a bid on a job. They completed the work and sent in all the before and after photos. There was ultimately new damage to the home after they finished their portion of the job.
The larger company contracting the work out charged my colleague for the damage in the form prescription cialis generic of a chargeback.
Notarized Statement / Certified Mail
I gave my advice to the colleague by saying I’d send in a written, notarized statement to the primary contractor, along with photos capturing as many affected areas as possible, proving the undamaged state of those areas after having left the home. Even though the new damage to some of the areas may not have been captured in my initial photos, at least some of the new damage would be ruled out by the photos I did have.
Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
For example, if there is a new hole in a wall that my company had painted, and I had initial before and after photos showing there was no hole at all in the wall when I was there, this new damage could not be finger-pointed at my company.
In the written statement, I’d request they remove the chargeback immediately. I told him I’d then call the company subcontracting out the work at least twice a day (squeaky wheel gets best price for cialis the oil!) until the chargeback is removed.
Subliminal Message
The notarization is not necessary, but it sends a subliminal message that you’re serious and are prepared to pursue legal action if necessary. Reaching out to them in this manner may speed up the process in getting paid. Consider sending the correspondence certified mail as well.
Tip: In the future, take as many digital photos of the property as possible for your “personal” file when working with contractors to protect you and your company. These are not photos you’d send to the contractor; just evidence for your personal file as needed. You can also file a mechanic’s lien against a home if you don’t get paid in full from a contractor representing a bank or mortgage company.
What is a Mechanic’s Lien?
A mechanic’s lien is a “security interest” in the property’s title. As a contractor, if you have provided labor or materials to improve the property and you have not been paid fully, you can place a lien on the property and seek to get the rest of your monies when the home is sold.
Unfortunately, many industries are rogue with unscrupulous individuals; real estate is certainly no exception and may just be near the top of the heap. (But there are an equal number, if not more, of honest, hardworking professionals out there who won’t take advantage.)
Let Past Experience Guide You
The bottomline? If you have problems getting paid from a contractor, certainly don’t work with them again, let your colleagues know who they are, and pursue legal action.
Good luck with your foreclosure cleaning business!
Author Bio: Cassandra Black, Author, How to Start a Foreclosure Cleanup Biz: FREE Articles/Advice, How to Start a Foreclosure Cleanup Biz, & CEO Foreclosure Cleanup, LLC.
Category: Business/Business Opportunities
Keywords: foreclosure cleanup, foreclosure cleanup business, foreclosure cleaning, cleaning foreclosures, foreclosures cleaning, clean foreclosures