failure to pay for work
Ask a Lawyer
Question
Country: United States of AmericaState: MinnesotaI did some contract landscape work for a client who will not pay me the final invoice on the work that I did, which consisted of creating and planting several flower beds around a newly constructed home, in which they don't live are trying to sell. When there was misunderstanding about the final cost of the whole project, and miscommunication between husband and wife, the final decision was they would pay me the difference owed after they sold the house. Weeks have gone by, and when I began calling them to find out what was going on and they weren't returning my calls, I emailed and said I wanted payment. They returned with a very nasty email threatening to sue me for every penny they paid me and more. They have paid me $4,100 approx. for the job thus far, and owe me a final payment of $538. There were no complaints about my work prior to my push for payment and I see no grounds for their suit. I want to place a lien on the property but want to ensure that I'm doing the right thing. Things I do know, I am not required to have a license b/c I make less than $15K per year doing this work. I work as a contractor doing completely different work (writing/editing) the rest of the year. Is there something I need to know that I don't know to ask about? I am new to the business and have not had to deal with this type of issue before.