bad roofing (insurance, lawyer, contractor)

[Kym wilhite]

I took the advice from my insurance and hired someone to put on a new roof. That company hired a sub-contractor. To make a long story short, I never signed a contract, haven't paid any money, the job is not finished, and a certified engineer that I hired said the roof has to be completely redone. The contractor paid the sub contractor without an inspection. Now, he wants us to pay 5 thousand dollars for the work. Do I have to pay for this job? I'm thinking that if two roofers and an engineer find the roof unacceptable and I never signed a contract, he probably can't win in court.

[Joe 4520832257]

It's irrelevant whether the contract was written or not. It's not required for the type contract you're talking about.

I'm not sure beyond that. From what you described, it sounds like you have a pretty solid defense for not paying - since it sounds like you can show negligence and damages on their part. Of course, you can't just use a bad inspection as an excuse to avoid payment. If the roof supposedly needs to be redone, you'll want to have it redone. You can't just use the bad roof and not pay.

Regardless, you don't want to search the internet for legal advice. You shouldn't rely on anything said by someone on a message board (myself included). You should talk to a lawyer for legal advice. Best of luck.

[Kym wilhite]

I intend on hiring a reputable company and getting the roof completely redone. The company wants me to give them 5 thousand to walk away. Since I received a copy of the independent engineer today, I feel much better. It states that the shingles are high nailed, the flashing is on top of the shingles etc. I have talked to a lawyer and he said this guy doesn't have a leg to stand on so I think I'm OK.