Payment disputes
When the pour is done and the check isn't
Unpaid invoices, held retainage and back-charges are the most common fights on any job. We work out which claim is strongest and which deadline comes first, then send the letter that starts the clock.
Most payment claims are won or lost in the first two weeks: who you invoiced, what the contract says about notice, and what you have put in writing. We collect the contract, pay applications, change orders and messages, then write the demand.
Some matters end there. When one does not, we tell you what the next step costs before you take it.
What we take on
Unpaid invoices and pay applications
Retainage held past completion
Back-charges and offsets
Pay-if-paid and pay-when-paid defenses
Joint-check and stop-payment problems
Disputes between a contractor and an owner
How a claim moves
Four steps before anyone files
Going to court is the last step, not the first. This is the order we usually work in.
The record
Contract, invoices, pay applications, change orders and messages, in date order.
The notice
Any notice the contract or the law requires, sent while it still counts.
The demand
A letter that states the amount, the basis and the date by which you expect payment.
The table
Direct talks or mediation. A filing comes only if you choose it and the numbers support it.
Send the invoice and the contract.
Tell us who hired whom and the last day you worked. We'll tell you which deadline to watch first.
Please don't send confidential details through the form.