Contrator no permit pull issue.

[Wenwen Zhao]

Hello everyone.
I am new in this business and I have a rehab job gone bad. the contractor did not pull permit I have a contract with him says he is responsible for pulling the permit. now we have a stop work order and he is not responding very much now days. I have begin the process of pulling the building permit with the city myself. I need local legal help, as well as some tips on how to handle this issue. Can anyone reference by a good real estate lawyer in Atlanta area?

[J Scott]

First, fire him immediately. If he broke the contract and lied to you about pulling permits, you DON'T want to be associated with him in any way, shape or form. Hopefully, you haven't paid him upfront and aren't out any money. Assuming that is the case, don't pay him anything and let him take you to court...then he can explain to a judge why he's doing illegal work. If he's licensed, he has a lot more to lose than you do.

Second, don't pull permits yourself unless it's your personal/primary residence. In Atlanta, unless it's a primary residence, only a GC can pull a building/renovation permit.

Third, find a good, reputable contractor in your area who can complete the job for you. Check his license to ensure that he's really licensed as a GC and then verify that the permits have been pulled before any work starts.