Building contracts – making things run smoothly
All your life, you’ve probably heard your parents (and then your lawyers) say, “Make sure to get it in writing”. Yes, there are dishonest people in the world, but most people, including the workers that you’re going to be hiring for your building renovations, are just good people. Even with good will and pleasant manners, people do forget details, especially if they have other jobs on their minds; misunderstandings of no one’s fault do occur. Before you sign a contract or ask for a written estimate, get clear in your mind how extensive you need your renovations to be. Hopefully, you’ve already had an electrician, plumber, etc. examine the building before you bought it, so you know the changes that you will want the property to undergo.
You can get a standard contract from the Joint Contract Tribune (JTC) (available online) that you and the builder you’ve hired can use. It’s an understandable legal contract without legal jargon and small print, and it spells out exactly what both sides expect from their working relationship. One of the most important things in the contract is the price to be paid. The builder will also be interested in the schedule of payments, which often is linked to stages of work (after the first specified stage, the builder gets a certain percentage, upon completion of the second stage, he gets the next payment, etc.). Another crucial detail of the contract is the schedule of work; when will it be finished? The greatest aggravation occurs when the work drags on and on without an end in sight, but a clearly worded contract can help you avoid this.