Missouri City Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in Missouri City, TX

Construction Dispute Law in Texas

Landowners and contractors in Missouri City, Texas often 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.

In the overwhelming majority of instances, however, these problems are resolvable, and do not lead to major disputes. Being rational, business-minded adults, landowners and construction contractors are usually able to resolve disputes amongst themselves. After all, both stand to gain if the project is completed, and the contractor is paid.

Even if a third party gets involved, it does not always need to be a court. Private mediators can help 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 Missouri City, Texas 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 Missouri City, Texas

Delays in Construction: Delays are often 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 usually be liable to the landowner for any harm resulting from it.

Owner's refusal to pay: Contractors can also be the victims in construction disputes. 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." Instead, 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 cases, 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 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. 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: Sometimes, when a contractor wins in a lawsuit against the landowner who hired him or her, and obtains a court order for payment, the contractor will still refuse to pay. Since a money judgment isn't worth much without a way to enforce it, the laws of many states have evolved to allow what's known as a "mechanic's lien." As a last resort, if a landowner refuses to pay the contractor for work done on the property, the contractor can force a sale of the property, and keep the proceeds, up to the amount of money owed.

Can a Missouri City, Texas Attorney Help?

Construction disputes and disagreements can be very difficult to deal with alone. The assistance of a Missouri City, 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 Missouri City

Missouri City is, believe it or not, a city in Texas. It is primarily located in Fort Bend County, wiht a portion located in Harris County. It has a population in the mid 50,000s.

Some great sites to check out while visited Missouri City include the Senior Road Tower, KRIV-TV Tower, KHOU-TV Tower, KTRK-TV Tower, Blue Ridge Tower, Richland Towers and American Towers.

The area is also home to many well established attorneys who are very knowledgeable in many areas of law. Thus, residents and local businesses need not travel far in order to receive excellent legal services.

Famous people who have once called Missouri City home include Crystle Steward, Doug Brocail, Bruce Matthews, Sean Jones, Alonzo Highsmith, Warren Moon and James Loney.

Overall, this is a great city to stop by in and visit when in Texas!

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