Hired a bad contractor, made partial pay. and let him go.His helper was not pd. by him & threatens lein?

We hired a contractor to remodel bathroom. He said he had a helper. Helper did plumbing which was good, but other work was not up to par by either man. We paid for finished work and let contractor go. He accepted payment and cashed check. evidently he only paid helper a small portion even though helper did most of the work. Now helper calls himself sub contractor and says he will put a lein on our house if we do not pay him $400.00 more for his work. what to do? Can he do this? What is the answer, you hire someone and they do a bad job, but if you let them go, they put a lein on your house, even if you paid them fairly for the work that was done.
I know this contractor did not get a permit. Who would be in trouble for that, us or him?

Contact him and request a copy of his license, bonding and insurance. Bet he is not licensed to do the work and as a helper, you did not contract him to do the work. The guy you hired probably told him to threaten you with this story. Contractor liens are possible, but not this way. If it had been a seperate contractor (tile for instance) that the original guy hired to do the work, then you could be charged. This is why you alway get a written contract stating that all other contractors on the job are to be paid by him at no additional cost (above the contract rate) to you.

CONTRACTORS GONE WILD-HIT THE DECK

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