General Contractor I used scammed me

[Shravan Gali]

Hi BP Team, 

I am looking for some help/suggestions in regards to the situation I am in. I am an investor from CA and I bought my first investment property in Columbus OH and the realtor I used to get the property recommended me a GC who came with very high recommendation. Initially the GC spoke very well and he showed me his past work and it all looked great. 

His name is KEVIN HOLMES from COLUMBUS ROOFING AND MORE LLC. After a while, he started flaking out and he would take forever to get back to me. And eventually he stopped taking my calls or doing any work. Unfortunately, I paid him most of my rehab budget but the work that was done was horrible. 

I was able to get another project manager and a new GC and get the house to a decent shape towards the end. But I spent a lot more money and spent 3 additional months. 

Can someone please recommend me a good real estate attorney from the area? Also are there any other options I can consider? 

Thank you! 

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Shravan Gali:

Most attorneys are unlikely to touch your claim. I recently had an open-shut case against a CPA for $27,000. I spoke with several attorneys, and they all agreed my case was rock solid, but it wasn't worth their time. They suggested I try to negotiate a settlement instead, which I did.

If this individual was licensed, I recommend you file a complaint against them with the licensing board. I would start by paying the second GC to write up a short statement explaining their expertise, what they found when they were awarded the job, what they did to fix the existing work, and attach a copy of their invoice. Then write up your own statement explaining it, to include the amount of rent income lost (or other expenses) due to the delays. File a complaint with whomever you can, then take him to small claims court.