Demand letter
A firm letter on our letterhead for an unpaid invoice.
- Review of contract and invoices
- Letter on firm letterhead
- One revision after they reply
- Arbitration or a lawsuit
- Term:
- Flat fee, confirmed by email before any work begins
Getting paid
Paid in full, not paid eventually
Pay-when-paid clauses, retainage held past completion, back-charges that show up after the invoice. Most of these disputes turn on the contract language and the paper trail. We read both before anything goes out.
A firm letter from a lawyer ends more of these than a lawsuit does. When it does not, we tell you what the next step costs before you take it, and whether it is worth taking for the amount owed.
What we handle
Unpaid invoices and pay applications
Retainage held past completion
Pay-when-paid and pay-if-paid clauses
Back-charges and set-offs
Bond claims on public jobs
What goes out
Three letters that move an invoice
Each one is drafted from your contract and your paper, not from a template.
The payment demand
What is owed, under which clause, by what date, on firm letterhead.
The retainage request
A written request tied to completion, so a held balance has a date attached.
The bond claim notice
For public jobs: notice to the surety and the contractor inside the claim period.
What it costs
Priced by the step, flat each time
Start with the letter. Most clients stop there.
Lien package
The lien prepared, recorded and served on everyone who must get it.
- Deadline check before we start
- Lien drafted and recorded
- Service on owner and other parties
- Recording and service charges
- Suit to enforce the lien
- Term:
- Flat fee, confirmed by email before any work begins
Recording and service charges are paid at cost.
Fees are flat for the work listed. Court, filing, recording and service charges are separate, paid at cost and itemized. A written quote comes before any work.
Questions
Getting paid, answered
My contract says I get paid when the owner pays the contractor. Is that the end of it?
Not always. Courts read these clauses closely, and some only delay payment rather than excuse it. We read the exact words before telling you.
How much is too small to chase?
Because the letter is a flat fee, fewer amounts are too small than you would think. We will tell you honestly if the next step costs more than the invoice is worth.
Will a demand letter hurt the relationship?
A calm letter on a lawyer's letterhead usually gets a phone call back. We write it to leave the door open when you want repeat work.
Owed money? Put it in writing.
Send the invoice and the contract. We will quote the letter before we write it.