District Heights Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in District Heights, MD

Construction Dispute Law in Maryland

When the owner of some real estate and a contractor enter an agreement for a construction project in District Heights, Maryland, be it a house, landscaping project, or wide office building, there's always a chance that issues will come up, no matter how careful everyone is. A few minor setbacks are almost inevitable, in fact.

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 a third party gets incorporated, it does not always need to be a court. Private mediators can assist the parties reach a settlement, or a private arbitrator who is an expert on construction litigation can render a binding decision, if mediation and negotiation fail and the parties can't resolve their dispute.

Construction Dispute litigation in District Heights, Maryland is usually time-consuming and expensive. But it is sometimes necessary, usually as a last resort.

Examples of Construction Disputes That Might Lead to Litigation in District Heights, Maryland

Delays: Some minor delays in a construction project are all but guaranteed to occur. Usually, 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. Furthermore, 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.

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: A mechanic's lien is a way for a contractor to secure payment if a landowner declines to pay. In such cases, if the contractor sues and wins, he or she can sometimes impose a mechanic's lien on the property he or she just worked on. This allows the contractor to force a sale of the property to cover the judgment. It is usually used when other attempts to secure payment fail.

Can a District Heights, Maryland Attorney Help?

Disputes over construction delays or defects can be extremely taxing. Therefore, getting an experienced District Heights, Maryland real estate attorney might mean the difference between success or failure in your business ventures.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in District Heights

District Heights, Maryland is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland. Its population is approximately 6,000 people.

District heights is less than 10 miles away from Washington, D.C., making it an excellent place to live for people who work in the nation's capital, which has always had a strong job market, especially for government work.

For example, District Heights, Maryland is directly adjacent to Suitland-Silver Hill, Maryalnd, which is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. Census is taken every 10 years, at the beginning of each new decade (1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, etc.), and during this time, it hires hundreds of thousands of temporary workers across the country, which usually causes a small economic boom.

Of course, being near a major city with a large number of both government and private-sector employers, District Heights, Maryland chances are, if you have any marketable skills, you can find more permanent employment.

It shouldn't come as any surprise, then, that there are a lot of lawyers in District Heights, Maryland. A District Heights, Maryland lawyer can probably handle any legal problem that comes their way. If you live in the area, and have a legal issue, a District Heights, Maryland lawyer is the person to call.

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