Roof repair businesses offer roof installation, repair and maintenance services. From installing roof tiles to replacing existing roofing products, many workers in the industry are employed as contractors. It is important that you are aware of all the dispute resolution mechanism available to your business if you have a dispute with your contractor. It is a reality of life that some relationships break down when money is involved, and business relationships are no exception. Therefore, if your working relationship with a contractor results in dispute for one reason or another, you should ensure that it is resolved as quickly as possible.
There are some different ways to resolve any dispute, and the method you choose will depend on greatly upon your specific circumstances. Consequently, when resolving a dispute with your contractor, you should take into account your personalities, past business transactions and whether or not you wish to do business with them in the future. Also, you should also decide what financial cost you are willing to incur to resolve the dispute, and whether or not the cost outweighs the benefit for your roof repair business.
Resolving Disputes with Roofing Contractors
When a dispute arises between your roof repair business and your contractor, you should always begin by talking to them. Now, this may seem like a simple and possibly ridiculous piece of advice, however, many business owners become enraged or impassioned by a dispute and either make threats or take the matter straight to court. Such a course of action is inadvisable no matter what the situation, as it simply escalates the problem and prevents any chance of an amicable, cost-effective or reasonable resolution.
Therefore, you should begin by having an open and honest conversation with your contractor, in which you clearly express the way you feel about the matter and why you feel the way that you do. Also, you should encourage your contractor to reply to what you have said honestly, to see if they understand or even agree with your position. You may be surprised as perhaps there is a legitimate reason as to why your contractor has displeased you, and maybe they are even willing to accept fault. Such a resolution will mean that you do not have to spend a cent, and you will be able to continue a working relationship with your contractor.
However, sometimes this tactic does not work, either because your contractor will not listen to you or perhaps you have already tried this approach. Consequently, if this is the case, you should begin by seeking the advice of a legal professional that can guide you through the options available to your roof repair business, as from this point onwards any decision you make will have significant financial, legal consequences.
Legal Advice for Roof Repair Contractors
Before seeking legal advice, you should have some understanding of some of the options available to your roof repair business. The least arduous and most cost effective option available to you at this stage is that of mediation. Mediation involves a neutral third party, who listens to both sides of the dispute and ensures that both you and your contractor is aware of the other sides’ position. This could be useful if you feel that your contractor, who is normally reasonable, is being over emotional or missing the point of the dispute entirely. Also, the mediator does not make a decision about who is right or wrong; they only look to find a resolution to the current dispute that both parties can agree to. As such, if you want to avoid an adversarial tussle about your dispute, then mediation could well be the right option for you.
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The roof repair industry is characterised by many contractors that operate in narrow geographic markets. It is inevitable disputes may arise in businesses. If you need assistance with an employment dispute, our employment lawyers can assist.
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