A commercial project worth approximately $25 million or more has had its date of completion bumped ahead. Many people are quite unhappy about that. However, a construction dispute has been lingering, which has left the contractors, municipal officials and others with several important issues that must be resolved before the commercial building can be finished.
The completed structure is supposed to house several retail stores, apartments and a restaurant. A central issue in the ongoing construction dispute has to do with pollution monitoring wells on the property, which were on schedule to close so that construction on the new building could begin. There are also tax issues at the center of the dispute, which is causing the date of completion of the project to move from 2021 to this year, and now to 2023.
If you enter a contract, you must adhere to the terms
When you sign a contract, the assumption is that you have carefully reviewed its terms, understand them and agree to adhere to them. A date of completion can be an estimate or an exact deadline. If you are the contractor and do not finish a project on time, your client might not want to pay the bill.
Such issues often spark legal battles in court. What is in a contract is legally enforceable by law. There may be numerous goals in mind when pursuing legal action in a construction dispute. These may include one party seeking compensation for damages from another or one party asking the court to order the other party to uphold the agreed-upon terms of a contract.
It is best to seek guidance before signing a construction contract
Never sign a contract that you haven’t carefully read and understood. It is always better to ask for clarification. It is better to ask questions than to assume that you understand the meaning of the terms. To protect your interests, you can ask someone who is well-versed in construction law issues to review your proposed agreement and to make recommendations for any changes or amendments that might be necessary.
In the case of the commercial structure, the construction dispute has kept contractors from being able to complete the building on time. In some cases, such disputes bring a whole project to a screeching halt. Not only might it not get done on time, it might not get done at all.
Always protect your interests
If problems have arisen between your business and a construction client or municipality that you are unable to resolve, it is best to seek legal guidance, sooner rather than later, because the longer a contract dispute remains unresolved, the more complex and contentious a situation can get.