remodel bill

[djprimal]

i did work on a house with no written contract, we live in the house, it is a family house, now they want to sell the house and were not done paying the bills for the remodel, can i put the rest of the bill for the remodel on the owners?

 

[mightymoose]

Did you do the work for the owners, and with their permission?
Did you do the work with the expectation that you would pay the cost?

 

[djprimal]

ok, so the house was owned by my girlfriends great aunt, she died like 8 yrs ago and left it to my girlfriends grandmother. the grandmother let her son live here and he destroyed the place and then moved out. We took the house under a verbal aggreement that we would fix the house and pay the taxes and insurance while she did the paperwork to get the house in her name and then sign it over to us, since then the grandmother came into financial trouble and changed her mind and decided she wanted to sell it to us for 100k , we looked it up and found out the house is only assested for 65k and we told her no way we were paying that much, so now she wants us to move out so she can sell it. We still have a bill outstanding for around 6k for the remodel (i have pics of before the work and after and most of the reciepts).
i need to know if we can make her pay for the outstanding bill for the work, we dont want any extra money, we just dont want to have to pay for a bill on a house we no longer live in.
What can i do?

 

[army judge]

ok, so the house was owned by my girlfriends great aunt, she died like 8 yrs ago and left it to my girlfriends grandmother. the grandmother let her son live here and he destroyed the place and then moved out. We took the house under a verbal aggreement that we would fix the house and pay the taxes and insurance while she did the paperwork to get the house in her name and then sign it over to us, since then the grandmother came into financial trouble and changed her mind and decided she wanted to sell it to us for 100k , we looked it up and found out the house is only assested for 65k and we told her no way we were paying that much, so now she wants us to move out so she can sell it. We still have a bill outstanding for around 6k for the remodel (i have pics of before the work and after and most of the reciepts).
i need to know if we can make her pay for the outstanding bill for the work, we dont want any extra money, we just dont want to have to pay for a bill on a house we no longer live in.
What can i do?

You can't put your bill on anyone.
You can sue her under the theory she directed you to perform the work.
The problem is, you have no oral contract.
The law doesn't recognize oral agreements insofar as property is concerned.
You can sue her in small claims for the value of the work performed.
You have a very weak case, because you did the work to enhance the quality of your living environment.
A court might side with you under the theory of unjust enrichment.
The value of the property did increase due to your efforts.
You do that, however, it's going to ruffle feathers in the family flock.
Even if you win, you'd have to collect on the judgment.
You don't receive a check, just a piece of paper with an award written on it.
You could place a lien on the home if you win. If the house sells, you get paid first.