Advice for firing contractor?

[Simon Obas]

Greetings. Can anyone offer advice on how to properly fire a contractor? I hired a GC on Dec 7th with a job completion date of January 23rd. To date the project still isn’t complete. Every time I ask when will it be done, he gives me some BS answer and says just give me 2 more weeks. Last week he told me he “under bid” my project and he had to stop working on my home to take other jobs to have money to finish my home. He hasn’t to my house all week. I’m DONE! How do I get rid of this guy?

[Michael Hayworth]

Firing a contractor involves a couple of things: the laws of your state, and the contract you have. Your profile doesn't say where you're investing, so I can't comment on the laws of your state. You said you had a completion date of January 23. What does the contract say about missed deadlines? Or termination - a good construction contract should spell out what happens if one side chooses to terminate.

In reality, though, contract and laws only come into play if there's a lawsuit or threat of one. If he's saying he underbid the job and is having trouble finishing, he might be happy to have you fire him, unless you owe him a lot of $$. Have a conversation with him and tell him you no longer want him on the project. He may be fine with it. Depending on your locality, if there are permits involved, they're probably under the GC and you'll have to go through a transfer process, but it sounds like it's worth it.