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I made a claim on my insurance. A contractor helped me with the process and promised to repair my house without paying a dollar from my pocket. I endorsed a check and then he asked me for another deductible check. I did not agree since the deductible was already paid to insurance.

He didn't say anything, but later sent workers and they did not do the job as expected and as required by my insurance. I called and he said needs more money from me to do a better job. How can I get help, should I contact my insurance? or extend my Mortgage? He doesn’t respond now and did just half of the work. What can I do here?

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    Please add a country tag.
    – RonJohn
    Aug 3, 2021 at 4:40
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    When in doubt about who to make liable for what, get a lawyer.
    – Philipp
    Aug 3, 2021 at 8:26
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    If your insurance company requires the repairs to meet a certain standard, I'm surprised they gave you a check (assuming that's what you endorsed and gave tot the contractor) rather than requiring an estimate from and sending the money directly to the contractor you wanted to hire. Do you have a signed contract with the contractor specifying what work needed to be done in exchange for the money? You should not have paid up front; at most, you pay a deposit with the remainder due once the work is complete.
    – chepner
    Aug 3, 2021 at 12:43
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    How will "extending your mortgage" help? Is there such a thing?
    – Pete B.
    Aug 3, 2021 at 16:14

2 Answers 2

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Is your insurance a home warranty or is it homeowner's insurance? If it was insurance, was your claim for legitimate damages to your house (for example, a tree fell on your house), or was it a fake claim that just allowed you to upgrade your home?

If your insurance claim or warranty claim was legitimate, then you should call your insurance company and tell them that the contractor they paid didn't finish the job.

If your claim was illegitimate, I don't know what to tell you, except "You can't cheat an honest man." You tried to do something shady and someone shadier than you hoodwinked you.

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Unfortunately, it seems the battle with contractors persists.

If you are in the US, search for your state's Registrar of Contractors (or something similar) and submit a formal complaint. Most states should have an online submission form. If you have pictures from before and after the repair, ensure you keep them handy. Also, check on that website to see if the contractor is licensed/bonded. If they are not, it is possible that you hired a handyman. In some US states, California for example, handymen are illegal due to the number of scams they pulled on unsuspecting customers.

If you have this information, you may have grounds for litigation but be prepared to spend significant coin to retain the attorney, relative to the "work" you paid for, just to get them back to repair your home.

It's sad to say that many of them routinely engage in business this way, however it's not all of them. Be sure to check licensing and referrals the next time you hire one.

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