Legal Advice on Change Orders

[Ronny Crawford]

Hello fellow BP community!

Does anyone have any experience and advice regarding Change Orders that were completed prior to and without approval from the Owner?

I recently received two rather large change orders on a flip project.  I noticed via photos online that many of the change orders were already completed without my knowledge or approval.

I declined the change orders and have tried discussing with the contractor.  They state that per code and engineer's drawings the work must be completed in order to pass inspection.  While this may be true, my contract clearly reads that change orders must be approved by both Owner and Contractor in order to complete the work.

Am I liable to pay for Unapproved yet Completed work from change orders?  If not, how should I proceed?

Thanks!