Landscaping Company ghosted us without requesting payment

[Christina Banker]

Hi,

A landscaping company agreed to help us remove mulch and put rocks in the flower bed.

On the first day, he showed up, did some work, and laid down edging material in the front yard. He said he would come back the next day to finish the job. On the second day, the rock was delivered by a third party, but he did not show up. On the third day, we finally got a hold of him on the phone. He said he would call us the next day to let us know if he wanted to finish the job. But he never called again.

It is obvious that he wants to abandon the project. He has not sent us a bill for the part he has done. We don't know how to proceed in this situation. We want to hire a different contractor to finish the job, but we are afraid that he will put a lien on the house even though he did not ask for any payment. We will happily pay him for the work he has done. We want to be done with him.

To give you more context, we did not sign any contract. All we have is an estimate quote for the whole project through email.

Any advice on how to proceed?  Thank you!