What To Look For In Your General Contractor Agreement
Looking at your general contractor agreement or contract might feel like reading something in a different language. This post is here to help you make a little more sense of what you might see in one.
*Quick disclaimer that none of this is legal advise and I am not a lawyer.
You should always read over anything you are signing carefully, and ask questions if you are uncertain about any details. Keep reading below to see some of the key points to review.
Who?
The Parties
The top section of a contract will generally include a description of the people entering into the agreement. Between you and a general contractor, this will include you and the business. There will also be legal placeholder names given to certain aspects, like:
Satin Touch, Inc. “Contractor”
The address of work. “The Property”
What?
The Work
Look carefully at what work is being signed into this contract. A reputable contractor will have included everything you have talked about with your person of contact. This information will likely be found in the form of a “Scope”, or “Scope of Work”. This list will have all of the details of the work to be completed. It is an important list to look over. You should look to make sure this matches what you have been talking with your contact about. Make sure that the details you find important are included and correct. They should also be written in such a way that you know what is going to happen. So I’ll say again, ask questions!
When?
The Payment Schedule
Many general contractors will work on a payment schedule with you. This means that payments will be due at milestones of the project. There will often include a deposit due when you sign the contract, as well as other milestones like project start, after certain installations, and a final payment due when you sign the certificate of completion. Look for this information in your contractor agreement and stick with it.
Where?
The Project Location
Somewhere in the contractor agreement, it should be listed the exact address of the property where the project will be completed. Your current home, new home, or wherever else you might be contracting work for. It’s important that this is correct for legal reasons, like if you ever have to enforce the contract. But this information will also be used for any material deliveries or drop offs. It will also be given to the contractors and general contractor’s employees.
Why and How?
These are questions you should either be able to answer yourself, or know from communicating with your contractor. If you have any questions, and I’ll say it once more: ANY questions, please ask your contractor. Your general contractor is a professional, and they should have no problems answering your questions.
Please remember throughout the process to respect business hours and methods of communication requested by your general contractor.
