Payment & Money

The fastest way for a small contractor to go broke on a profitable job is to pay for everything up front and get paid only at the end, so the fix is a...

If you are a subcontractor and the general contractor is sitting on your money because the owner has not paid them, two things decide whether you get paid...

Filing a mechanic's lien is mostly paperwork you can do yourself, but it lives and dies on getting the details and the deadline exactly right. You confirm...

Most late payments are not disputes, they are drift, so the way you invoice and follow up is what decides whether the money comes in on time or turns into a...

A joint check agreement is a deal where the party at the top pays with a single check made out to two names at once, usually the sub and the sub's supplier...

A lien waiver is a document where you give up your right to file a lien in exchange for payment, and signing the wrong kind at the wrong moment can hand away...

A mechanic's lien is a legal claim you put on the property you worked on when you have not been paid, and it is the most powerful tool a contractor has. Here...

When a customer or a contractor above you has not paid, you climb a ladder, cheapest rung first. Start with a firm written demand. If that fails, reach for...

A notice of intent to lien is a formal warning that you are about to record a mechanic's lien unless you are paid, and it is often the cheapest move that...

A preliminary notice is a short document you send at the start of a job, and in most states it is the price of admission for filing a mechanic's lien later....

Two things quietly decide how much of your money you are actually holding at any moment: retainage and prompt-pay laws. Retainage is the slice of every...

A mechanic's lien is powerful, but it is not a guarantee, and how much it actually gets you comes down to one thing most contractors never check: whether...