My wife had our first child in January of this year and we JUST resolved a bill that the hospital tried to bill us for twice.

But honestly disputes between neighbors could easily be resolved by the police. 

If I chose to work with them I want issues and expectations resolved upfront so that time isn't wasted. 

@Devin Marlowe I'd probably walk at this point ... you can always poke at it later.If you are intent on pursuit, you could make it a condition of any offer that all zoning, work order and code compliance issues be resolved prior to Close.Now that you have had this discussion with the City and, I presume, conveyed the information to the Vendor and his agent {hopefully you asked the City to put it in writing - to help you keep the list straight.  

It isn't really resolved until a "finder of fact" ( a judge) makes a determination and then it can still be appealed.

Get the first multi-family stable, all rented out, maintenance issues resolved.. before moving onto another property to keep your sanity.    

If that resolves into a No Fault Eviction,  the seller pays the relocation fee(s), sometimes as high as $8k per door.

Eventually it was resolved, but I am very cautious and run title searches before paying the balance.I am dealing with a purchase now where the underwriter will not issue a tittle policy because on a previous transfer of the property the notary, witness and the seller had the same, very uncommon, last name.

Any idea how to resolve it? 

A demand letter should be sent before a lawsuit is filed.I would also try reaching out to the contractor again and let them know you would really like to resolve this without a lawsuit, all he has to do is return your money which he is not entitled to keep without doing timely work.Finally, are GC's licensed in your state?