Contractor Mistakes: Legal Options for Virginia 首页owners Seeking Remedies

当房主发现自己在处理承包商不合格或不完整的工作的后果时, it can be a nerve-wracking experience, as the home is often the biggest and most significant asset that they will ever own. Be it the construction of a new home or the renovation of an older home, 住宅建设项目通常迫使房主要么对银行账户课以重税，要么背负大量贷款.

因此, 项目现场的问题往往会给房主带来很大的压力和焦虑，因为他们的财务状况很差. 如果出现问题, 对于房主来说，了解他们在弗吉尼亚州法律下的权利以及可以收回的费用是很重要的.

合同和. 侵权行为

在大多数情况下, construction disputes are governed by contract law, 使合同成为理解房主对承包商的权利的基石. 合同索赔侧重于业主和承包商之间协议中规定的条款和条件，并详细说明了双方各自的义务. If a contractor has harmed the home, the homeowner must demonstrate that the contractor breached these contractual obligations, leading to the issues the homeowner is facing.

在极少数情况下，房主可以根据侵权法对其合同提出索赔. 侵权行为s are legal claims based on a wrongful act or infringement of a right. When these principles exist due to a relationship arising out of a contract, 然而, 房屋所有人只有在合同诱导下存在欺诈的情况下才能在侵权索赔中胜诉, 胁迫, 或者是在合同订立过程中出现的错误，或者是在合同范围之外的有害行为. 这些允许对承包商提出侵权索赔的情况是特殊情况，法院只有在承包商的行为明显超出双方的意图时才会采取行动.

Since it is rare to deal with a tort claim for a construction project, the rest of this article will focus on remedies for a breach of contract.

争议解决程序

It is important to understand the different options to seek resolution of a dispute. The most well-known option is the State court system, where a homeowner has well laid out rules and processes to present his or her claim. However, going to court is not the only avenue to resolve a dispute.  Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is another way to seek equitable resolutions of claims.  ADR可以提供一个更非正式的, 私人, and cost-effective method for solving a dispute with a contractor. ADR的例子是仲裁(一种类似于法院系统的程序，由中立的第三方决定索赔)。, mediation (where a neutral third-party acts as a go between, helping the parties to reach a mutually acceptable agreement to end the dispute), or, 简单的, 谈判(其中各方, 可能是通过律师, try to reach an agreement by themselves).

业主和承建商在哪里签订书面合同进行建造, it is not uncommon for a dispute resolution process to be chosen and included in the contract. 如果是这样的话, 双方可能已经同意在某一法院或通过仲裁解决任何争议，或在诉讼或仲裁之前尝试调解. 大多数情况下，这些争议解决条款对双方具有约束力，并可能影响双方提出索赔的方式.

传统的损害赔偿

Even when the parties to a contract opt for an ADR process like mediation or negotiation, where the parties can come to any agreement as long as it is mutual, it is important to know what remedies are available to the homeowner under the law. 当房主和承包商对所执行的工作质量存在分歧时，损害赔偿的计算可能会非常复杂. 随着时间的推移, 维吉尼亚州的法律已经制定了指导方针，以确定违约的直接后果是什么损害赔偿，以及由于特殊情况，什么损害赔偿可以得到赔偿. These “direct” damages can be calculated with one of three primary methods:

成本法

Where the defect caused by the contractor’s breach is remedial, damages are based on the costs required to complete or correct the work. 成本法损害赔偿旨在补偿业主为纠正承包商的错误而发生的费用, including the cost of additional work and materials needed to fix the problems. The cost method is the primary method for determining direct damages of a homeowner. 这种方法几乎总是需要雇用另一个承包商来完成合同规定的补救工作. 这种成本法的例外情况是，为了使结构符合合同要求，需要对结构进行大量拆除，或者修复的成本与赋予业主的利益严重不成比例.

值方法

If the defects are not practically remediable, either by impossibility or the circumstances described above, 由此产生的损害计算将基于有缺陷的结构的价值与正确完成时的价值之间的差异. 价值法评估承包商工作前后财产价值的差异. 这种方法的目的是补偿业主因承包商的错误而减少的价值. 值的方法将经常, 并不总是这样, 要求房地产评估专家的意见，以确定合同下预期工作的价值.

特定的性能

In cases where monetary damages are insufficient to rectify the situation, a court may order specific performance. This means the court compels the contractor to fulfill their original contractual obligations, 确保工作顺利完成. Because of the nature of the construction industry, specific performance will rarely be awarded as the cost method and the value method, 如上所述, are more easily applied to a construction dispute. 所涉建筑物或处所如此偏远，或承建商所从事的工程类型如此独特, 在几乎不可能找到另一个有能力完成这项工作的承包商的情况下，具体的表现可能是合理的.

Consequential (or “Special”) Damages

In addition to the traditional direct damages mentioned above, consequential damages may be available in certain circumstances. 间接损害赔偿是指由于与合同没有直接关系的特殊情况而导致的违约所造成的损害赔偿，只有在订立合同时双方都能想到的情况下才可获得赔偿. 当一种特殊情况是双方当事人实际预见到的，或者是与双方当事人处于相同立场的一个通情达理的人能够合理预见到的，则该特殊情况是被考虑到的. 常见的例子是由于高息建筑贷款的延迟或利息支付增加而导致的额外租金支付. 在建设的背景下, 间接损害通常被视为由于承包商的过错而造成的延误的结果, where the delay caused some type of financial issue for the owner. 间接损害赔偿是每个案例中独一无二的，可以涵盖由于承包商的错误而导致的特定经济损失或房主遭受的困难. Just like the dispute resolution process, consequential damages can be adjusted, 有限的, 或通过合同中的具体条款消除，是许多承包商非常关注的领域.

结论

In the labyrinth of homeowner-contractor disputes, understanding legal remedies is vital. State courts and alternative dispute resolution methods offer varied pathways for resolution, each intricately shaped by contractual agreements. To navigate this terrain effectively, 寻求律师成为一项战略上的必要措施，以确保做出明智的决定，并为未来的不确定性提供坚实的基础.

里昂Lascara 是一个澳门十大正规网赌网址 & 十大正规网赌网址 attorney focusing his practice on construction law and civil litigation matters.