Being sued by Roofer who did shoddy worki

[Pat222]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

What is my recourse if roofers shoddy work and now they are suing for payment? This is an investment property I own.
I hired an unlicensed roofer to install a new roof on my property. I informed the roofer that they would not be paid if it did not pass inspection. Which it did not.

I had 2 roofing companies look at it and site numerous problems with the roof. One said it needed to be torn off and redone as it was not to code etc. ion. Which it did not. I was told by the one company to not pay them anything. They recommended a compete tear off of the roof as it was not aid correctly. I had alredy paid for the materials $2k.

I told the roofer of the problems which they did not offer to fix, but offered a warranty. I know sounds crazy.
I didn't want them back up on the roof anyway. I did not pay them.

I can countersue them however, they don't even drive or own a truck. Each has a felony. I found out this after. So now I will have to go to court and countersue just to stop them from getting a judgement against my investment property.

So the one I hired filed a suit against me. He hired another roofer who helped him with the roof and that roofer was not named on the court document.

 

[xylene]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

What is my recourse if roofers shoddy work and now they are suing for payment? This is an investment property I own.
I hired an unlicensed roofer to install a new roof on my property. I informed the roofer that they would not be paid if it did not pass inspection. Which it did not.

I had 2 roofing companies look at it and site numerous problems with the roof. One said it needed to be torn off and redone as it was not to code etc. ion. Which it did not. I was told by the one company to not pay them anything. They recommended a compete tear off of the roof as it was not aid correctly. I had alredy paid for the materials $2k.

I told the roofer of the problems which they did not offer to fix, but offered a warranty. I know sounds crazy.
I didn't want them back up on the roof anyway. I did not pay them.

I can countersue them however, they don't even drive or own a truck. Each has a felony. I found out this after. So now I will have to go to court and countersue just to stop them from getting a judgement against my investment property.

So the one I hired filed a suit against me. He hired another roofer who helped him with the roof and that roofer was not named on the court document.

Your recourse is to hire a lawyer and defend the suit, if possible. Probably want a competent lawyer, admitted to the bar in your state.

Other good steps to take would be to stop being a slumlord and hire only competent licensed contractors. Review the condition of your property and make sure you are ok and any work you've previously had done by unlicensed contractors, possibly felons, to make sure it is up to code...

If you are asking is there some magic free way to deal with this? No.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

You certainly want a lawyer for this. I don't know if an unlicensed roofer will get very far in court.

You can counterclaim for your costs to get the roof properly fixed, minus what you "owe" the unlicensed roofer. If you're dealing with felons who don't even own a truck, I wouldn't be very optimistic about collecting anything on the counterclaim.

 

[justalayman]

You don’t get to arbitrarily determine how much, if anything, you owe a person you hire. Your contract says you owe $XXXX.xx, then until that is paid or changed in negotiation, you owe that much. Following the other roofers advice was as poor a decision as hiring an unlicensed contractor was. Whether an unlicensed contractor can win in court is something you are surely going to find out. I suggest you let an attorney do the talking for you. Depending on how your business is structured you may be required to have an attorney represent you.