One of the issues you can face as a business owner in the construction industry face is that you can never be sure a job is completed to the property owner’s satisfaction. Years from now, a property owner may come knocking to ask you to fix or compensate them for something you completed years back.
They might have a valid point or they might not, but sometimes it can be hard to tell. Buildings age, and differentiating from something that is down to your actions, as opposed to the passage of time is not always straightforward.
Predicted life spans
Some materials or installations have an expected life span. For instance, perhaps you told the customer that their roof sheets would not need replacing for another twenty years, but here you are, seven years later with them blaming you for the leak coming through their roof.
It could be that you (or someone working for you) installed them wrong. It could be that the batch you bought was faulty and the manufacturer needs to accept the blame. Or it could just be that weather conditions in the area have been extreme at some point in the past few years, causing the sheeting to deteriorate ahead of its expected lifespan.
While you don’t want to stump up time and money for an issue that was not your fault, you might be worried about the bad publicity a dispute could bring you. If you refuse to solve the matter because you don’t believe it’s your fault, the client might go to court over it, and there is no guarantee a court will agree with your interpretation of the situation.
Learning more about your legal options can help you decide on the next steps to take.