Does an Illinois contractor have to give me a written contract?

Question

The remodeler wants to start on a verbal agreement and a handshake, on a job worth several thousand dollars.

LokalMatch Editorial · Answer

Over 1,000 dollars, Illinois says no. Before starting home repair or remodeling work above that figure, the contractor must furnish you with a written contract or work order for signature stating the total cost, including parts and materials listed with reasonable particularity, and any charge for an estimate.

Reasonable particularity is the phrase that earns its keep. A line reading materials, 6,000 dollars is not a description you could ever check a substitution against; a list of what is being fitted, by make and grade, is.

There is a second document the law makes them hand over. For any contract over 1,000 dollars, the contractor must give you a copy of the pamphlet Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights before the contract is executed, and must get your signature on a Consumer Rights Acknowledgment Form confirming you received it. Below that figure the pamphlet still has to be provided, but no signed acknowledgment is required.

Before the final payment, ask for the sworn statement listing every subcontractor and supplier, their addresses and what they are owed. Illinois's Mechanics Lien Act entitles you to request it and requires the contractor to give it, and it is the only way to find out who else has a claim on your house.

Does an Illinois contractor have to give me a written contract?

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