Real Estate Litigation in Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Contract Law
You, the property owner, are responsible for
protecting your rights as you enter into a
contract to build or improve your property. But
the law in Pennsylvania protects
sub-contractors. Why? The subcontractor
needs protection because he is not a party to
the agreement between you (the property
owner) and the general contractor. Thus, the
law gives the subcontractor special
protections to see that he gest paid. Under
the law, a subcontractor can get a lien (a
mechanic's lien) against the real property
even if you (the property owner) have paid the
paid the contractor in full!

Property Owners - Use
Caution.
If, for example, you pay a contractor $50,000
to build an addition onto your home, what
happens if the contractor never pays his
subcontractors? The answer is, your property
may be exposed to a mechanic's lien if you
are not careful. You need good legal advice
early at the time your home improvement
agreement is drafted. Unless you address
this issue in your contract with the general
contractor, you may have to pay twice for the
same work! Fortunately, there are ways to
protect your rights.

Get Good Adice - Early.
You should have an attorney review any home
improvement contract. Answers are need for
the following: Should bond be posted?
Should the contract be performed in
installments? What assurances do you have
that the other side will perform on the
agreement as planned? It always makes
sense to have an attorney review your
agreement. Our fees to review (or re-draft) an
agreement are reasonable and we can
potentially save you thousands (or tens of
thousands) of dollars.