Levittown Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in Levittown, NY

Construction Dispute Law in New York

Owners of real estate in Levittown, New York often contract with other parties ("contractors") for construction on the property they own. Such projects are likely to suffer at least a few minor setbacks, and any project also carries the risk of major setbacks, delays, or unexpected costs.

In the majority of cases, it's possible for landowners and contractors to resolve disagreements amicably. There are many ways to do this, such as a simple verbal agreement to lower the contract price due to a mistake made by the contractor, for example, or an agreement to a slight price increase in the event of unforeseen obstacles beyond the control of either party.

Even if disagreements can't be resolved amongst the parties to the contract, they don't need to take their dispute into the court system. For instance, construction contracts usually call for mediation or arbitration before any disputes are resolved by the courts. Mediation is a process by which a third party serves as a sort of intermediary in settlement negotiations between the parties to the contract. The mediator can help keep negotiations on track, and suggest possible solutions the parties might not have thought of. The mediator can't issue a binding decision, however. Arbitration is a procedure through which the parties agree to have their dispute resolved by a third party, which can render a binding decision. Arbitration can be quicker and cheaper than litigation, and it has some other advantages, as well.

Because of the large cost in time and money involved, litigation in Levittown, New York is regarded a last resort. However, in rare cases, it does become necessary.

Examples of Construction Disputes That Might Lead to Litigation in Levittown, New York

Construction Delays: Delays in construction are common sticking points between contractors and landowners. These delays can sometimes lead to litigation, especially if the construction contract makes it clear that time is an important factor, or if the contract mandates a certain completion date. In such situations, a court will often award the landowner compensation for any monetary losses he or she suffered as a result of the delay.

Refusal to Pay: Contractors can be on the other side of legal disagreements, as well. Sometimes, the landowners who hired them refuse to pay. This is usually because the landowner believes that the contractor didn't perform under the terms of the contract, or that the work was unsatisfactory. If this is the case, it may ultimately be up to a court to decide who is right. If the contractor did, in fact, do poor work, the landowner will be excused, at least in part, from his duty to pay. If, on the other hand, the work was satisfactory, the court will order the landowner to pay the contract price immediately, and may award further damages if the refusal to pay was done in bad faith, or if it caused foreseeable economic harm to the contractor.

Subcontractor Disputes: With very large construction projects, general contractors don't always have the resources to do all the work themselves, so they hire other contractors to do some of the work for them. Nonetheless, it is the general contractor who is ultimately responsible to the owner for the satisfactory completion of the project. So, it is very essential to the general contractor that subcontractors do a good job. If the subcontractor causes a delay or other issue, and the owner sues the general contractor as a result, the general contractor can then go after the subcontractor to recover whatever it lost in the lawsuit.

Mechanic's Liens: If the contractor sues a land owner and wins, he will likely obtain a monetary judgment. If the owner declines to pay, the contractor needs some way to recover. This is where the mechanic's lien comes into play. It allows a contractor to force the sale of the land or other real property that he just worked on, and use those proceeds to cover costs.

Can a Levittown, New York Attorney Help?

Construction disputes can be time-consuming and costly. Hiring a reputable Levittown, New York real estate attorney can make it much easier to deal with such disputes, and help you avoid litigation, or prevail if litigation becomes necessary.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Levittown

Levittown, New York is a hamlet, and census-designated place, located on Long Island, in Nassau County. It has a population of about 55,000 people.

Levittown was built as a planned community, starting shortly after the end of WWII, with construction complete in the early 1950s. It was one of the first planned communities in the U.S., and one of the largest at the time. It quickly became a symbol of suburban America and the unbridled optimism of the postwar era. Levittown is named after the construction firm Levitt Sons, which developed the community, and is largely credited with inventing modern suburban America, for good and ill. "Levittown" became a disparaging term for large, bland, suburban developments featuring identical homes. Ironically, however, the homes currently in Levittown have been remodeled or rebuilt to such an extent that there is now a great deal of architectural variety.

Modernly, Levittown is an affluent community, with a median family income of over ,000, and just over 1% of the population living below the poverty line.

Accordingly, the lawyers in Levittown, New York are used to handling fairly sophisticated cases. If you have a legal issue, whether it deals with real estate, family, criminal, or any other area of law, you can be sure that there is probably a Levittown, New York lawyer who can help.

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