removed mechanics lien, now how do I collect?

[yvonne bretton]

I live in Florida and I purchased a new home in 1999 from a builder. Recently a sub-contractor liened my home because of the contractor's failure to pay. I have paid the sub and removed the lien from my property. How can I collect? What about trying the title company, the real estage agents (they warranted the viability of the contractor); or is there a way I can locate a bond or insurance policy for the contractor?

[Edited by yvonne bretton on 05-24-2001 at 09:34 AM]

 

[HomeGuru]

Complicated matter. Hire an attorney.

 

[mlieb]

you have a couple of options... one, there is a construction reimbursement pool in florida for homeowners.... if you go to the florida government home page, you can get info on it,,, but its a long and stupid process. My attorney charged me $30 in hourly fees to get the paperwork, which i could have gotten for free. another route is criminal. you can contact the state attorney's office. if a contractor takes your money and doesn't pay the subs, thats misappropriation of funds, and theft. try to threaten the builder with criminal charges, or the state attorney can do that for you. (sometimes). its awful. in florida its like homeowners have no rights, and any imbecile can become a contractor. another thing you can do is go to the fla government page to the professional licensing part, and file a formal complaint against the contractor. that could hurt him, and if there have been other problems with the guy then maybe they;ll pull his license. good luck. hope this helps.