Houston Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in Houston, TX

Construction Dispute Law in Texas

Landowners and contractors in Houston, Texas 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.

Most often, the owners of land and contractors can end disputes before they get too serious, thus eliminating the need for litigation. Most contracts governing construction projects have built-in remedies for the most common problems, normally requiring the party that causes a delay or other problem to pay the other party a set fee.

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 normally 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.

Construction Dispute litigation in Houston, Texas is normally time-consuming and expensive. But it is sometimes necessary, normally as a last resort.

Examples of Construction Disputes That Might Lead to Litigation in Houston, Texas

Major Delays: If the contractor or a subcontractor is at fault in causing a massive delay to a project (several months, for example), this may lead to a lawsuit. If the contract stated that time was of the essence for some reason (maybe the project was a new store that the owner hoped to open before the holiday shopping season, for example), a court can normally award the owner any damages that were caused by the delay.

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 normally 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 substantially less than the contract price.

Subcontractors: Subcontractors are hired by general contractors to assist them in large construction projects, normally specialized tasks like installing plumbing. However, no matter how much of the work is performed by subcontractors, the general contractor (the one that the client actually hired to do the project) is liable to the landowner as if it were doing all the work itself. This basically means that, if a subcontractor messes up, the general contractor is the one who gets sued. But all is not lost in such a situation. If the general contractor has to compensate the owner because of the mistakes of a subcontractor, it can sue the subcontractor for whatever it had to pay to the landowner.

Mechanic's Liens: If the contractor sues a land owner and wins, he will likely obtain a monetary judgment. If the owner refuses 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 Houston, Texas Attorney Help?

Construction disputes and disagreements can be very hard to deal with alone. The assistance of a Houston, Texas 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 Houston

Houston, Texas is a large area with many fun-filled attractions for tourists to enjoy. For starters, the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center consists of 1,620 acres and 100 facilities where people can experience a zero-gravity environment and a virtual rocket launch. For all those with secret astronaut aspirations, this NASA attraction is perfect!

The Houston Zoo has over 4,500 animals and is a great place for some family fun. Kemah Boardwalk consists of a large amusement park, Ferris wheel, train ride, hotels, and restaurants. It is the mini-Disneyland of Houston!

Other popular attractions include the Museum District, Downtown Aquarium, Galleria Mall, and Bayou Place, the popular entertainment megaplex filled with theatres, bars, lounges and restaurants.

With a large population of 2.1 million people, it is natural that a large legal industry is needed to suit the needs of so many. With a few law schools in Houston producing many graduates, the mid to small sized law firms adequately handle the citizens' legal needs.

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