North Bergen Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in North Bergen, NJ

Construction Dispute Law in New Jersey

Owners of real estate in North Bergen, New Jersey frequently 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.

Most often, landowners and construction contractors are able to resolve minor to moderate disputes between themselves, and litigation is rarely necessary. Nobody likes litigation, so, to this end, most construction contracts have built-in remedies in case something goes wrong, like set price reductions if construction is delayed.

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 typically 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 process through which the parties agree to have their dispute resolved by a third party, which can render a binding decision. Arbitration can be faster and cheaper than litigation, and it has some other advantages, as well.

Litigation of construction disputes in North Bergen, New Jersey can be extremely time-consuming, stressful, and costly. Nevertheless, there are (relatively rare) occurrences where it is the only option.

Examples of Construction Disputes That Might Lead to Litigation in North Bergen, New Jersey

Delays in Construction: Delays are frequently points of contention between contractors and landowners. Contracts sometimes have clauses which explicitly state that the project needs to be completed by a certain date, or penalties will be imposed on the contractor (reduced payments, for example). However, if the contract doesn't contain such built-in remedies, or one party refuses to abide by them, litigation may be necessary. If a contractor causes a delay that it could have prevented, it will typically be liable to the landowner for any harm resulting from it.

Refusal to Pay: Disputes can also arise from a client's refusal or inability to hold up his end of the deal. Sometimes, once a project is complete, or nearly so, a landowner will express an unwillingness to pay the contractor for his services. There might be a variety of reasons for this - sudden loss of money, or dissatisfaction with the quality of the work are a few examples. It's rare that a client will refuse to pay a contractor simply because they don't feel like it (and if that is the reason, they'll typically come up with a better one to argue in court). In these cases, a court will sometimes have to decide if the client is obligated to pay the full price. If the work was, indeed, not up to the standards laid out in the contract, the contractor is not entitled to the full price, but is still entitled to the actual value of the work, even if it's considerably less than the contract price.

Subcontractor Disputes: With very considerable 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. However, it is the general contractor who is ultimately responsible to the owner for the satisfactory completion of the project. So, it is very critical to the general contractor that subcontractors do a good job. If the subcontractor causes a delay or other problem, 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 refuses 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 permits 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 North Bergen, New Jersey Attorney Help?

Construction disputes and disagreements can be very challenging to deal with alone. The assistance of a North Bergen, New Jersey real estate attorney can make the process of dealing with these disputes much quicker and easier.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in North Bergen

North Bergen is a township located in Hudson County, New Jersey. North Bergen, New Jersey has a population of about 60,000 people, as of the 2000 Census.

North Bergen got its name in the 1800s, when the former Bergen Township was divided into several smaller sections, one of them being North Bergen.

North Bergen, New Jersey is known for its hilly terrain, and is said to be second only to San Francisco in American cities with the most hills. It also has an elaborate shape - resembling an inverted "L." These factors have lead to different sections of North Bergen evolving into distinctive neighborhoods, each with its own unique look and feel.

In order to spur development and commerce, the state of New Jersey has designated North Bergen as an "Urban Enterprise Zone." Many state laws and regulations operate differently (or not at all) in these zones, for the purpose of encouraging businesses to set up shop. For example, sales tax is only 3 1/2%, as opposed to 7% in the rest of the state, and many items, mostly necessities for life, or those related to starting a business, are tax-free.

If you live in North Bergen, New Jersey and are in need of legal advice, you're in luck. There are many North Bergen, New Jersey lawyers who are ready to help you with whatever legal problems you may be facing.

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