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Contractors and Paperwork

Posted on June 1, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement |

The world runs on paperwork, it seems. You can?t buy a house without destroying a few hundred trees for riders, contracts, insurance documents and mortgage notes. You can?t sign your kid up for a summer sport without signing riders, providing paperwork evidencing proof of insurance and reading participation guidelines.

Guess what? You?re in for more of the same when you hire a contractor. And that?s a good thing.

The centerpiece of this paperwork assemblage is your contract. This is what lays out terms and expectations. It?s the document that gives you legally enforceable rights if the contractor doesn?t perform, too. Even if your state doesn?t require a contract, get one.

Then start collecting. Collect any correspondence. Save copies of all receipts. If it has something to do with your home and it?s written on a sheet of paper, keep the paper. While you?re at it, start creating your own paperwork. Jot down notes about your communications with the contractor, especially any phone calls you may have.

The idea is to protect yourself in case something goes wrong. Your paper trail is more than just a bulging file box. It?s potential evidence. And it could save you a fortune if something should happen to go wrong with the job.

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