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Home Improvement Contract

If you are a home improvement contractor, you should consider making Home Improvement Contracts to protect your business when you are planning to offer home improvement work to property owners. Signing this essential contract can lower the risk of future disputes. Different from a blank template that you may discover on another site, your Home Improvement Agreement comes with the option of Document Defense^®, so an attorney can reach out on your behalf if you don't get paid or experience any other problem.

Whether you are doing a full remodel or building a small addition, having documentation of any commitments to the client is critical. You may decide that you want to use this document because, when done properly, it presents this list of helpful benefits:

• The home improvement contractor and property owner both understand their responsibilities
• There are no surprises about how long the project will last
• Both parties know when invoicing will happen

Some consequences of not having this document in place include underpayment, confusion on timing, impractical expectations, and more concerns.

The details needed for your Home Improvement Contract are listed below:

• Your client's contact information
• What fees will be charged and when
• What the duration of the project is
• What tasks you will be doing once hired

As you might expect for an agreement like this, any Home Improvement Contract made with Rocket Lawyer will also contain the standard legalese regarding the independent work relationship, the protection of confidential information, and finally, restitution for losses. While building your agreement, you also will be able to designate its state of jurisdiction. With the Rocket Lawyer document tool, you have the power to implement further personalized editing, if necessary.

Some states like California require that any contractor or subcontractor who engages in home improvement work be certified. A HIC home improvement certification demonstrates a contractor or subcontractor's knowledge of home improvement contract law. Requirements for certification vary by location.

In order to create a Home Improvement Contract online for free with Rocket Lawyer, you can tap or click the button that says "Make document" to get started. You will then answer a set of questions about your situation to help generate your custom contract. Before signing your Home Improvement Agreement, it is recommended that you try asking an attorney in our Rocket Lawyer On Call^® network to review it for you. This route is, in most cases, much more affordable and convenient than hiring and working with a conventional attorney where invoices might total anywhere from several hundred dollars to thousands, depending on the complexity of your situation.

If you have any questions or hesitations about how to move forward, ask an attorney today. You should also feel free to browse our full library of contracts and other legal documents.

No, time and materials contracts for home improvement projects are not legal in every state. Ask a lawyer, or check with the Contractors State Licensing Board in your state to determine if time and materials contracts are allowed.

Depending on who is contacted, some attorneys will not even accept requests to review your contract if they were not the ones who drafted it. A more favorable approach might be to request help from Rocket Lawyer On Call^® network of attorneys. By becoming a Premium member, you will be able to request guidance from an attorney with business experience or pose other questions about your Home Improvement Agreement. We're always here to help.

In order to turn your document into a legally binding agreement, you need to sign it. RocketSign^® enables you to get signatures quickly. When you're finished, make sure that all signers receive a copy of your fully executed agreement. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you also will be able to make a copy, print, and save it in Word or PDF format when needed.

Unsurprisingly, clients may often refuse to pay a contractor because they are unhappy with the work performed. In this instance, both parties should talk through the problem to find a solution that is accepted by everyone involved. If a solution cannot be found after communication, then legal action will most likely have to be taken. If a client continues to refuse to pay, then the contractor can file a Mechanic's Lien on their property.