2016 Spring Home Improvement

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Page 8 2016 Spring Home Improvement LINCON DAILY May 2, 2016
when hiring
contractors
BE
CONTIUNED ►
If you are an owner having construction done on
your property, you need to know about Liens,
Lien Waivers, and Contractor’s Affidavits.
Illinois Law provides that an owner is
responsible to ensure that any work performed
on his property is fully paid for, and if it is not,
the unpaid party may file a “mechanic’s lien”
against the property. A mechanic’s lien entitles
the unpaid party to force the sale of the property,
with the proceeds being applied to the unpaid
bill.
Owners should note that this is true of sub-
contractors as well as general contractors!
Subcontractors are those individuals or
companies your general contractor has hired to
provide material or labor to help him complete
your job. For example, if you hire a contractor
to build a garage on your property and the
contractor does not pay the lumber yard or
the concrete company for all of the building
materials used on your garage, the lumber yard
or concrete company may file a mechanic’s lien
against your property.
This is true even if you have paid your
general contractor the full amount of the
price you agreed on!
You are still responsible to see that your
contractor pays all sub-contractors. In other
words, if you pay your general contractor in full,
and he does not pay his sub-contracted material
suppliers, you may be required to pay for the
building materials--twice!