Tree fell on house,, Unlicensed contractor start fixing house,, no permits. His sign and business card states licensed and insured. Work not finished correctly and he was asking for money asap. We put stop work order. He now filed lien on property . What do we do as homeowners?
There may be two separate issues in your question: 1. Unlicensed Contractor and 2. Fraud
1. Georgia Contractor's License requirements are guided by OCGA Title 43, Chapter 41. Aside from a few small exceptions, such as certain specialty trades and work costing less than $2,500, a Georgia Contractor's License is required to perform any such work on a residential or commercial building. The contractor must have a valid license as of the date of the contract, or the date work commenced if the contract does not indicate a date. An unlicensed contractor has no legal right to enforce any contract for work. Therefore, if the situation is as described and the contract found unenforeceable, so too will be the lien. Further, doing contractor work without a valid license has other consequences with the state of Georgia.
2. If the contractor indeed had a fake license number on his advertising and vehicles, he may have fraudulently induced you into entering into the contract. This also renders the contract unenforceable.
This matter should be properly reviewed by a local attorney.
NOTE. The information presented here is for informational purposes only and based on the limited information provided. It is not legal advice and should not be construed nor relied upon as such. Furthermore, this posting does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, seek the counsel of a licensed, local attorney.