Beaverton Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in Beaverton, OR

Construction Dispute Law in Oregon

Landowners and contractors in Beaverton, Oregon commonly contract with each other for major construction projects. With any large construction projects, some small delays or problems are all but inevitable, but they don't usually derail the project or lead to major disputes between the parties.

Normally, contractors and landowners can resolve minor disputes amongst themselves, without having to resort to litigation. Commonly, construction contracts contain built-in remedies for mistakes and delays that can be easily corrected, such as payments to the owner for every day the project is delayed.

Even if the parties can't easily resolve their disputes, and someone else needs to intervene, that somebody doesn't always need to be a judge or jury. Many construction disagreements call for mediation, during which a neutral third party helps the parties to the dispute negotiate a settlement. They might also go through arbitration, during which a third party renders a binding decision.

Litigating a construction dispute in Beaverton, Oregon is definitely not something that anybody likes doing. Nonetheless, it is sometimes necessary, as a last resort.

Examples of Construction Disputes That Might Lead to Litigation in Beaverton, Oregon

Delays: Some minor delays in a construction project are all but guaranteed to occur. Normally, if contracts require a specific completion date, the contractor will give itself longer than the project would take under ideal circumstances, to account for possible delays. Additionally, construction contracts usually attempt to insure against delays, such as imposing fees on contractors if the project is delayed beyond a certain point. If no such clause is included in a contract, a court will usually award the client damages that could have been reasonably anticipated at the time the contract was entered into.

Owner's refusal to pay: Contractors can also be the victims in construction disagreements. Sometimes, the person who hired them will refuse to pay the agreed-upon fee, or withhold a portion of it. This, without more, certainly constitutes breach of contract. However, in such cases, the owner will rarely go to court and say "I just didn't feel like paying, so I didn't." Rather, they will claim that they had a very good reason to withhold all or part of the payment, such as unsatisfactory work by the contractor. In these situations, the court has to determine if the owner has a valid reason for not paying. If it concludes that he or she does not, it will order the owner to pay the agreed-upon price.

Subcontractor Disputes: With very massive 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 crucial 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 authorizes 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 Beaverton, Oregon Attorney Help?

Construction disputes can be time-consuming and costly. Hiring a seasoned Beaverton, Oregon 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 Beaverton

Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon. It is near Portland. In 2010, Money Magazine listed it as one of the "100 Best Places to Live" amongst the smaller cities in the United States.

Top employers include Reser's Fine Foods, Leupold Stevens, Nike, Inc., Phoenix Technologies, Linux Technology Center (IBM), Tektronix, Maxim Integrated Products, VeriWave, and Intel. The legal force also has a strong presence in Beaverton because many attorneys practice and reside here. These attorneys work in small firms or law offices and focus on providing their clients with excellent legal services.

Other reasons for recognition include the fact that in 2006, Beaverton's very own Murrayhill Little League baseball team was qualified for the 2006 Little League World Series. Also, in 2002, the city's little league softball team won second place in the Little League Softball World Series. Beaverton is also known to have one of the largest fencing clubs in the nation--Northwest Fencing Center.

Overall, Beaverton is an exciting place to live in or visit!

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