Contractor Won't Bill Me. Advice Please!

[Alecia Loveless]

I've got a great general contractor. In the past 8 months he's worked at 3 of my properties. The first doing odds and ends getting it ready to be sold, maybe about $3000 worth. Then he did a major renovation to the second side of the duplex I live in including installing a shower, laying flooring, and supervising other employees such as the plumber and electrician. This could easily have been as much as a $12-15,000 bill from him. He promised at my insistence I would be invoiced before December 31,2020 so I could properly account for these bills in the correct year. Now he is renovating a third house for me, another $12-15000 project. 

I have yet to receive a single invoice of any kind from him. I have referred him much business and many new accounts but I can't imagine he doesn't want or need this money. There aren't any other reliable, insured contractors in my area that won't simply charge me an arm and a leg for this type of work. He also comes at every emergency I have so I don't want to alienate him or offend him especially as my portfolio grows. 

If anyone has any suggestions on how I should handle this I would appreciate it. 

Thanks!

[Nathan Gesner]

When you set a deadline, you should always include a penalty for missing it and follow-up to remind them of the agreement. Here's an example:

"Are you able to get the invoices to me no later than December 31? If I don't get the invoices by the deadline, there will be a penalty of 5% reduction on your labor."

You get him to agree to that in writing. You remind him along the way. On December 15th, you look him in the eye and remind him that he agreed to provide the invoices by December 31st or pay a penalty. If he doesn't meet the deadline, you reduce his labor by 5%.

I know some contractors are bad about paperwork, but the fact that you're still waiting on invoices from months back and you still have him working jobs for you tells me this guy is a complete mess or he's getting ready to slam you. What are you going to do if he finally shows up with the invoices and the jobs are 50% more than you estimated or he projected? You have no idea what he's charging for the first job but you've hired him for two more jobs?