Dispute With Contractor Who Did Unauthorized Work & Now Demands Payment or Lien

[Lincoln W Daniel]

(I have spoken to a seasoned lawyer who told me to tell the plumbing company to go "f themselves".)

Hi, I have a house in NYC that I rent out to a tenant. The tenant broke the kitchen sink garbage disposal, so I called a plumbing service to get a quote on fixing that. I explicitly told the plumber that I don't live at the property, my tenant would answer the door, and I would need them to call me directly at my number to give me a quote on fixing the garbage disposal unit before any work is to be done.

Instead, they went to my property and immediately got started on unclogging the sink. They did some work on the pipes, etc. I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted the garbage disposal fixed, which they did not fix. They also never called me to give me a quote and get my approval to move forward.

They're talking about putting a lien on my property if I don't pay them nearly $1k. I could find a way to pay that, but I didn't ask them to do that work, and they didn't fix the issue I called about. Is this something I should be concerned about?

[Marc Winter]

@Lincoln W Daniel,

What do you have in writing?  Email, text, back of napkin?  

I'd use this case as an example of why we must get SOMETHING about the work and/or your directions in writing, upfront.  

This company, and every vendor you plan on hiring, should be searched in BBB and/or other reviews, AND check your Unified Judicial System portal to see how many times they have ended up in court.

You are right:  you found a seasoned lawyer!