Contractor abandonment

[crumb]

What is the name of your state? Utah
I hired a contractor to remodel my rental home. He asked for 3500 up front which I paid. He did a bunch of work and would give me an invoice when it got to be about 3000. Each time I paid him cash within a day of getting the invoice. I have paid him now over 25000 He is now over 2 months past our verbally agreed finish date and he won't complete the job. He tells me he will every time I get ahold of him but then doesn't. Week after week this has been going on. I looked up recently if he was licensed on the state database and neither he nor his company shows up. Also his company business license expired 2 months ago. He sent me a 2700 invoice which I have not paid yet because he wasn't getting things done. Since I have paid him 3500 upfront I am ready to just end the relationship. Any advice here?

 

[NeilTheCop]

In Utah, “[n]o contractor may...commence or maintain any action...for collection of compensation for performing any act for which a license is required...without alleging and proving that he [or she] was a properly licensed contractor when the contract sued upon was entered into, and when the alleged cause of action arose.” Utah Code Ann. § 58–55–604.
The best advice is to hire an attorney, and file a formal complaint
https://dopl.utah.gov/investigations/complaint.html