The worst part about being a homeowner is home improvement lawsuits, as they might occur and impact your financial health. Even worse, they could be something you have to pursue to get compensation for injuries. Here are the 10 most common types you’re likely to see.
1. Personal Injuries on Your Property
Every time someone comes to your home, you run a risk of serious personal injuries affecting them. This problem often occurs if they aren’t careful while visiting your property. However, they may try to sue you if they think you’re to blame or believe they can get money from the suit.
This situation can be stressful because it might ruin friendships and family relationships. Even worse, it might cause long-term complications with your financial health if you lose. But, again, working with a lawyer should protect you here, considering many situations may require support elsewhere.
Your liability coverage should pay for much of your suit, especially if you lose. However, there are limitations on policies that might affect how much you have to pay out of your pocket. For example, more severe injuries may result in paying out more money than you want.
As a result, you need to work with a personal injury law firm that you can trust to support your needs. These professionals can sit down with you and create a plan that makes sense. Even if you have excellent liability coverage, there’s no need you shouldn’t fight to protect yourself as much as possible.
Working with a professional on these home improvement lawsuits will improve your chances of winning. Just as significantly, it cuts back on your risk of legal complications. Most lawyers can provide high-quality support to protect yourself and your family from these issues.
2. Defective Product Lawsuits
Have you ever encountered a defective product and wished you could sue the company that created it? Well, a lot of home improvement lawsuits focus on just this issue. However, the types of problems you might experience will vary based on many factors, including the scope of the product itself.
What kind of defective products might trigger these lawsuits? Things like plumbing installations, carpentry work, HVAC maintenance, and any other home service or product support. Thankfully, a case can help you repay your money or compensate for your needs.
For instance, you can sue someone for the amount of money you lost due to a defective product. This compensation can include the price of the product or service and the damage it caused. So, if a plumbing problem caused by poor installation causes water damage, you can sue.
Similarly, you might find yourself at the center of these lawsuits if you’re a service provider that uses faulty products. So, again, it’s essential to research all the materials and products you use to minimize this problem. But, just as significantly, it can help reduce any concerns you might experience with your home.
3. Asbestos-Related Claims
While it might seem hard to believe, many homes around the nation still have asbestos in them. Even though this material has long since been discontinued from use, older homes may still have it in its insulation and could trigger home improvement lawsuits if it isn’t correctly handled.
That’s because homeowners must investigate asbestos issues in their homes and provide support to mitigate their dangers. For instance, if you don’t take the proper steps to get rid of asbestos in your home, you could be at risk of a lawsuit that severely impacts your financial stability.
As a result, it’s crucial to get asbestos inspections for your home to avoid these cases. But, just as importantly, you should ensure you get abatement to minimize its spread. Thankfully, abatement support is available from many professionals and should help you stay safe.
Otherwise, you might end up in a severe lawsuit about asbestos that might cost you serious money. Even worse, you might get affected by asbestos and need help getting compensation. No matter what your needs are, working with a professional you can trust should keep you safe.
4. Warranty Disputes With Manufacturers
Another common source of home improvement lawsuits is disputes with manufacturers over warranties. This problem often occurs if the manufacturer tries to claim you violated the warranty. It may also happen if you make a claim close to the end date of a standard warranty.
Some people might experience this problem even with extended warranties, which typically provide longer and more comprehensive coverage. That can make getting compensation challenging because the manufacturer may claim their warranty was better than average. They may even claim that you caused the problem yourself, which voids a warranty.
Success in these cases typically varies based on your case. Often, a lawyer can help improve your chances of winning. That said, you might also need support from other professionals to succeed. Talk to a lawsuit professional about this situation to ensure that you understand what it requires.
5. Workman’s Compensation Cases for Contractors
If you’re a contractor, getting workers’ compensation for your injuries might be problematic. Many home improvement lawsuits center around this issue and require you to work hard to avoid them. Just as importantly, you need to understand what kind of contractors may experience this issue.
For example, if you hire someone for roof repairs on your home and they get injured, they may try to sue you for compensation. Or if you’re a contractor working for another company, you may try to sue them if you get injured. In these cases, compensation can often be a challenging situation.
That’s because your contract may not provide for workers’ compensation, which can complicate your case. Furthermore, your employer may try to claim that you weren’t injured on the job. As a result, you might struggle to get the support you need and require help from a skilled expert.
6. Payment Disputes for Home Improvement Services
While working with a contractor can be a beneficial experience, it can also be a problem if you run into payment disputes. Often, they may try to demand more money from you or claim that you didn’t pay them. You may even refuse to pay them if their services were sub-par compared to expectations.
For example, let’s say someone claims they can sell your car for cash fast and help you make a profit. Yet, you trust these professionals and get only a fraction of the money you could have gotten selling from a dealership. If they made big promises or misled you in any way, you might have a lawsuit.
Furthermore, you might be sued if a carpenter does poorly on your repairs. You may also have a dispute if they suddenly increase their price and try to hold you hostage. They might even threaten you with a lawsuit if you don’t pay their bill, and cost you even more money.
These home improvement lawsuits are frustrating because you trusted someone to do an excellent job for you, and they failed. Even worse, they might even have a chance of winning if you refuse to pay a written contract. Therefore, working only with trusted professionals is essential to stay safe.
7. Injuries From Defective Products
Every year, thousands of home improvement lawsuits center on defective products that have yet to be recalled. For example, many home items can have serious flaws that make them dangerous. Unfortunately, you might only discover this without a recall after you get injured or your house is damaged.
Sometimes, this damage can be very severe and even life-threatening. Some people may lose the use of their limbs or even watch as their home burns to the ground. Let’s look at one example to understand how this problem might affect you and your family and what you can do to get help.
For example, let’s say that a backyard fireplace malfunctions and causes fire to spread around your yard. At the bare minimum, you lost money on the fireplace and lawn repair. At the worst, you might be burned yourself, or your home might be destroyed. You might even lose a loved one.
If a problem like this affects you, it’s important to contact a lawyer immediately to get help. They can prepare your case and present it properly to improve your chances of winning. While a lawyer doesn’t guarantee your success, it increases your chances of winning a lawsuit.
8. Dangerous Product Recalls
You should pay attention to home product recalls because many might be dangerous. Many caused home improvement lawsuits that can affect your house and cause long-term health issues. Understanding these can ensure that you’re safe and avoid serious financial problems.
For instance, some window treatments might get recalled because they have dangerous chemicals that leak and cause health issues. Other problems to pay attention to include toys that might hurt your child and much more. These concerns will vary depending on many factors, so pay close attention.
There are many sites that make tracking these recalls easier, including government pages that follow common recall issues. But, as importantly, you can pay attention to product release schedules and talk directly with companies like your auto manufacturer. Doing so can ensure you spot as many recalls as possible.
If you get rid of these recalled products or get them repaired, you typically can’t pursue a lawsuit. Usually, you can only win a case if the recalled item damages you or your home or causes financial troubles. As a result, it’s typically better to just get the recalled item repaired to avoid these concerns.
9. Property Damage Cases
Property damage is a severe issue that can impact many people every year. Unfortunately, these concerns are likely to occur during services you’ve hired. As a result, you need to know what to expect and prepare for an extensive lawsuit if a service professional damages your house.
For example, you might try tree removals for your house and have one fall on it, the garage, or a car. The damage caused by falling trees can be devastating. However, they’re far from the only issue that may require working with a legal team who can help you get compensation.
Other problems that might require working with a lawyer include damage caused by your neighbors, friends, or family members. While it’s never fun to sue someone you know, you might need to if they damage your house. Often, people have insurance that helps to pay for lawsuit costs anyway.
If you win these home improvement lawsuits, you can use the money to repair the damages caused by the liable part. For example, you can get a professional to repair damage caused by a falling tree or inappropriate neighbor activity. In this way, you can protect your home and stay financially safe.
10. Home Services Scams
Lastly, you might find yourself in home improvement lawsuits due to various scams by con artists. These scams are unfortunately common because many people think they can get away with them. However, they include many scams that could affect you financially and cause serious problems.
For example, many con artists use garage door repairs to scam people, claiming they can do quick repairs that provide results. Often, these individuals claim that they were just driving by and noticed your garage needed repairs. Unfortunately, it’s a dubious scam that many people fall victim to for whatever reason.
Another common potential scam includes roofs, as these individuals may come to your home and do a quick and shoddy job repairing your roof. They’ll then charge a lot of money and threaten you if you don’t pay. This kind of situation is very frustrating and should be easy to avoid.
Never work with anyone who comes to your home as a traveling contractor; work only with people you or others trust. Unfortunately, these lawsuits are often complex to win unless you prove you were purposefully scammed. It requires working with a lawyer who you can trust to support you.
These different home improvement lawsuits require you to work with a skilled professional you can trust to handle your needs. Getting the best legal support will ensure that you feel comfortable with whatever steps you take here. So please contact us today to learn more about how we can help.