In California, a written contract is required for all home improvement projects over $500. A home improvement contract and any changes made to that contract must be in writing, legible, easy to understand, and inform the consumer of their rights to cancel or rescind the contract.
Under a time and materials contract, in which a contractor's compensation and profit are tied to the total number of hours the contractor works, a temptation exists to draw out a project – Spending more time than is necessary on each build phase, accruing to many excess hours worked over the life of a project.
The first thing you learn from the Home Improvement Contracts section of the California Contractors License Law and Reference Book is that there is no provision for time and material contracts in home improvement projects.
Include both the hours and the minutes (not the seconds). When writing times, prefer using a colon over a point between hours and minutes. Do not add hrs or o'clock: h. Use a.m.
Rules Lowercase a.m. and p.m. and always use periods. Lowercase noon and midnight. Do not use 12 noon or 12 midnight (redundant). Use noon or midnight. Do not use 12 p.m. or 12 a.m. Use noon or midnight. Do not use 8 a.m. in the morning (redundant) Use 8 a.m. Do not use o'clock with a.m. or p.m.
The contract is valid for a period of insert number of months months starting on insert start date and ending on insert end date. An extension of insert number of months months can be made upon request from the PURCHASER and issuance of an amendment to this contract.
Record Retention Requirements Destroy after the required seven years or when audited by the Bureau of State Audits or the Department of General Services, whichever comes first.
You can politely but firmly request that they commit to a completion date, and inform them that further delays will force you to explore other options, including hiring someone else to finish the job. Make sure you keep a record of all communications, as this can be useful later if the situation escalates further.
The best way to use dates in contracts is to write out the month, preceded by a figure for the day. Use four digits when referring to specific years. Never write a date ing to either of the following structures: ..the 15th day of March 1928 (written out)