Help? Contractor didn't close permits and installed bad stuff.

[Brendon K.]

Hello folks,

I got an offer on my house and it's supposed to close in a few weeks. I had the big three done by a contractor: a new roof, new siding, and new windows. 

They have been a massive pain to work with. We had to insist that the contractor open city permits. We came to find out that they didn't bother closing those permits. The requirement for closing a permit in this case is that a city inspector has to go to the work and inspect it. In this case they found that the two big windows in the staircase landing weren't tempered glass, something we had specifically told the contractor to install. 

The contractor's original work got "done" 5 months later than their original estimate with a billion excuses when we're actually able to get hold of them. We've already had to have them reinstall most of the windows because they broke them while they were installing them and just left them that way for us to find. Meanwhile, the period for the offer we got expires in just a few weeks. 

What would you do here? If we tried to find someone else to do it, do businesses have the ability to fix installation from other companies under the installation warranty? Are there other options that may exist?

[Dustin Allen]

@Brendon K.

Million dollar question: did you already pay the other contractor the rest of his money?

If so, you’re best bet is probably to hire someone separately to fix the problems to save the sale. You obviously have the right to pursue some form of recourse with the past contractor but is it really worth it with a potential sale hanging in the balance? See what it would cost for another company to fix the last couple of items and get your permits finaled. If the deal still works, I might consider that option.