Plain-English help on the clauses that cost contractors money

Getting paid

Is pay-if-paid legal in North Carolina?

North Carolina won't enforce a clause that ties your payment to the owner paying the GC. What that means before you sign.

Getting paid

North Carolina retainage: how much can the GC hold back?

The 5% cap on public jobs, how private jobs are set by contract, and the rule that stops a GC over-holding from you.

Getting paid

North Carolina prompt payment: when the GC has to pay you

The seven-day deadline once the GC has been paid, and the 1%-a-month interest that runs if they don't.

Risk

North Carolina indemnity clauses: what you can and can't be made to cover

You can't be forced to cover the GC's own negligence. Where the line falls, and the insurance catch.

Risk

Pay-if-paid vs pay-when-paid: which is worse for you?

One delays your money, the other can wipe it out. How to tell them apart, and why your state matters.

Risk

What "flow-down" really means in a subcontract

How a clause binds you to a prime contract you may never have seen, and what to ask for before signing.

Risk

Conditional vs unconditional lien waivers

Don't sign away rights for money that hasn't cleared yet. The simple rule for which to sign, and when.