Contractor Dispute Question

[Nhan Le]

Hello BP Community

I have a situation occurring with my contractor and I wanted to get advice on how to navigate the situation.

I recently purchased a SFH back in early October that needed a cosmetic update and I was referred to a handyman by my realtor for the renovation. Right off the bat this person did not have their GC license and looking back at it this was the beginning of my newbie mistakes. During the initial planning of the project, we agreed to an amount for the work/completion date but there was no contract signed/created.

Well my contractor starts work and I been paying them on a weekly basis for the work done, unfortunately later into November the progress slowed down and we were not going to hit the deadline of Early December. In addition, I communicated through call/text and could not get a hold of this person for the past 2 weeks (late December), but I know he is available on other jobs. In my eyes I paid him about 50% of the "proposed work" but only about 30~40% of the work has been completed (mostly demo/frame in). I communicated to him through text that I would like to end any future and to just go our separate ways (I will eat the cost). Is there any other actions I need to perform on my end or does he have any recourse to "come after me" besides the text notification? Additionally, he left all his tools at the worksite and I message him to get in touch with me to arrange for pick up. 

Thanks and appreciate the advice.

[Chris Seveney]

@Nhan Le

If there is no contract it would be very difficult for either party to seek recourse.

Find a licensed contractor and execute a contract.