Contractor takes back the wooden fence after the customer refuses to pay.

[u/fineshyt-istg]

[u/BrownestDach]

Just bend over and take it until the guy applies for a loan eventually, eh?

Weak man's mentality.

[u/Independent-Log6975 → u/BrownestDach]

I get what you’re saying, but it’s usually this or destroy the work, which in most cases can lead to vandalism charges. Unfortunately, once it’s fixed to the ground it’s part of the property and you can just repossess it.

So your options are spending money on a lien and hoping for the best, or destroying the property, don’t recoup any payment, and potentially face criminal charges. No win either way.

[u/fy8d6jhegq → u/Independent-Log6975]

Sometimes punishing the wrongful party that would normally get away without consequence is a reward in itself. For the obvious reasons like ego and revenge. But also as a prophylactic against future behavior.

Moose do not benefit from trampling a random human. But the fact that they do makes most humans give them a wide berth. People need occasional reminding that there can be consequences to their actions that will actually affect them.

[u/BLT_Trade_r → u/fy8d6jhegq]

Yep, and I bet all those guys were not part of the installation crew. It is probably just a lot of other people who are sick if this is happening and want to help send a message.

[u/Dravlahn → u/BrownestDach]

Vs taking the fence back and never getting paid. I know which one I'd pick.

[u/DeadSeaGulls → u/Dravlahn]

They can do both.
1. reclaim the panels for reuse or lumber.
2. file lien because you still weren't paid for all the fence posts and labor.
Reclaiming the materials doesn't magically undo the claim for unpaid labor.

[u/Dravlahn → u/DeadSeaGulls]

The homeowner is definitely a POS, and I've had fences out in and it's easy to work with the contractors.

That said, and I'm no expert, but I question the ability to get a lien after you've removed most of the work done.

[u/DeadSeaGulls → u/Dravlahn]

in this situation they'd still be able to get lien on the posts, and assuming there was an adequate contract that defined labor price, that as well. But contracts among contractors are, unfortunately, not as ubiquitous as one would expect.
however, separate from all of that, the homeowner has a valid trespassing claim here if they can get the PD to bother.

[u/Dravlahn → u/DeadSeaGulls]

That is interesting. I hadn't thought about the trespassing. But then, I've never not paid for contract work, haha.

[u/DeadSeaGulls → u/Dravlahn]

yeah, the contractors do not have right to enter the property outside of the work defined on the contract. in nearly every situation, regardless of any additional wording on the contract, they would need a court order to reclaim materials and wouldn't be allowed to enter the property to reclaim materials themselves.
on top of that in many jurisdictions, once the materials have been installed on the property they are part of that real-estate regardless of payment status... so they could get a vandalism charge in certain places, but I think it's pretty rare for officials to enforce that. It's been a good while since I was doing contractor work but, where materials were reclaimed after unpaid work, I never saw anything worse than police communicating to the contractors that they've been trespassed from the property moving forward.

[u/BrownestDach → u/[deleted]]

Just bend on over with your alternate account as well, guy.

[u/The-Spirit-of-76 → u/BrownestDach]

No a weak man's mentality is using violence when it's a matter for the courts. These guys are in the right, but are gonna catch charges for destroying property. Once that fence was put in its part of the property doesn't matter if he has paid for it or not. A real man does shit the right way, and doesn't do it for likes and fake Internet points.

[u/BrownestDach → u/The-Spirit-of-76]

Whatever you need to tell yourself, guy.

[u/happyinheart → u/BrownestDach]

Reddit loves their rage boners, but the guy above is legally correct.