Contractor abandoned my kitchen renovation after taking $28,000 - what are my options for recovery?

I hired a licensed contractor for a full kitchen renovation. Contract was $55,000 total. Paid $28,000 upfront (I know, too much, lesson learned).

He demoed everything - cabinets, counters, flooring, even removed part of a wall. Then after 3 weeks of excuses about "materials being delayed," he just stopped responding to calls and texts. It's been 2 weeks of silence.

My kitchen is completely gutted - no sink, no stove, nothing. We've been eating takeout and using the bathroom sink to wash dishes for over a month.

I verified his license is still active with CSLB. What are my options? Can I file a bond claim? Small claims limit is only $12,500 in California. Should I hire an attorney?

Construction attorney here. I'm sorry you're dealing with this - it's unfortunately all too common. You have multiple avenues for recovery:

1. CSLB Complaint (do this immediately):

• File a complaint with the Contractors State License Board
• CSLB can suspend or revoke his license, which creates pressure to settle
• They also have a Consumer Recovery Fund that can pay up to $30,000 per claimant if the contractor can't pay

2. Contractor's Bond Claim:

• California requires contractors to have a $25,000 bond
• You can file a claim directly against the bond
• Bond claims don't require a lawsuit, though you may need a judgment first depending on the bond company

3. Legal Action:

• Your damages exceed small claims ($12,500 limit), so you'd need to file in Superior Court or waive the excess
• Calculate damages as: money paid minus value of work completed, plus cost to complete with another contractor

First step: Send a formal written demand via certified mail giving him 10 days to return to work or refund your money.

Thank you! A few follow-up questions:

1. How do I calculate "value of work completed" when all he did was destroy my kitchen? The demo work is worth maybe $2,000-3,000?

2. Can I file a bond claim AND use the CSLB recovery fund, or is it one or the other?

3. Should I wait for him to respond to the demand letter before filing the CSLB complaint?

Former general contractor of 30 years here. This is unfortunately common in the industry right now - a lot of contractors overextended themselves during the pandemic renovation boom and are now failing.

My advice:

• File the CSLB complaint immediately - don't wait. If he has other complaints pending, they may take action faster. This also starts a paper trail.
• Get written quotes from 2-3 other licensed contractors to complete the work. This documents your "cost to complete" damages.
• Take detailed photos and video of the current state of the kitchen.
• Gather all documentation: contract, permits (did he pull permits?), payment receipts, text messages, emails.

For value of work completed: Demo is typically worth $2,000-$5,000 depending on scope. If he pulled permits and did any rough plumbing/electrical, that has value too. If he just tore things out and disappeared, his completed work is minimal.

To answer your questions:

1. You're right that demo has minimal value. Get quotes from completion contractors that itemize what's been done vs. what needs to be done. If the full job would cost $60,000 and demo is worth $3,000, your damages are $28,000 paid minus $3,000 value = $25,000 in overpayment, plus potentially additional costs if completion costs more than the remaining $27,000 you would have owed.

2. You can pursue both the bond AND the CSLB recovery fund, but the recovery fund is typically a last resort after you've exhausted other options (bond, judgment against contractor personally). They'll want to see you tried to collect elsewhere first.

3. File the CSLB complaint NOW. Don't wait. The complaint and demand letter can happen simultaneously. CSLB complaints can take months to process, so start the clock immediately.

Did he pull permits for this work? A full kitchen reno with wall removal almost certainly requires permits. If he did work without permits, that's another CSLB violation and potentially a bigger problem for you when you hire someone to finish.

He said he was going to pull permits "once we finalized the cabinet layout." So no, no permits were pulled. Is that bad for me?

It's bad for him, not you. Performing work that requires permits without pulling them is a CSLB violation. Add that to your complaint.

For you, it means when you hire a completion contractor, they'll need to pull permits and there may be some complications if the existing work doesn't meet code. But that's a cost you can add to your damages against the original contractor.

I went through something very similar 2 years ago - contractor abandoned my bathroom remodel after taking $18,000. Here's what worked for me:

1. Filed CSLB complaint immediately
2. Sent demand letter via certified mail
3. When he didn't respond, I filed a bond claim with his surety company
4. Surety company investigated and paid me $15,000 (the bond maximum at that time) within 60 days
5. Filed in small claims for the remainder (waived excess over $10,000)
6. Got judgment but never collected - contractor had no assets

Total recovery: $15,000 from bond plus about $2,000 from CSLB recovery fund. Didn't make me whole but helped significantly.

Key lesson: The bond claim was the most effective path. Don't skip it.

Update: Filed the CSLB complaint and sent a certified demand letter. Also looked up his bond information on the CSLB website and contacted the surety company about the claim process.

Interesting development - when I searched his name on CSLB, I found he has TWO pending complaints already from other homeowners. One from 8 months ago!

Multiple pending complaints is significant. CSLB will likely take action faster with a pattern of complaints. It also tells you this isn't a one-time situation - this contractor has a history of problems.

Be aware: if multiple people file bond claims, the $25,000 bond gets split proportionally among claimants. So if three of you have valid $25,000+ claims, you might each only get about $8,300 from the bond.

This is why pursuing multiple avenues (bond, CSLB recovery fund, personal judgment) is important.

Similar situation here - different contractor but same story. One thing that helped me: I found the other victims through CSLB records and we coordinated. We shared documentation, attended the CSLB hearing together, and it was more effective than each of us fighting alone.

The contractor eventually had his license revoked and we all got payments from the recovery fund.

Major update: The contractor finally responded - but only after I filed the CSLB complaint and bond claim. He's claiming "personal emergency" caused the delay and wants to "work things out" without involving CSLB.

He's offering to refund $20,000 (not the full $28,000) and says he can return to finish the job in January. I don't trust him at all at this point. What should I do?

DO NOT let him back on the job. A contractor who abandons work and has multiple CSLB complaints is not someone you want in your home.

If you want to negotiate, demand a full refund of the $28,000 in exchange for withdrawing the complaint. Get it in writing. Get the money before you withdraw anything.

Personally, I wouldn't withdraw the complaint even if he pays. Other homeowners deserve to know about his history.

I agree - do not let him return to work. The trust is broken and you'd be taking on significant risk.

If you negotiate a settlement:

• Demand the full $28,000 plus your documented additional costs (eating out, temporary kitchen setup, etc.)
• Get everything in writing as a formal settlement agreement
• Have him sign a release acknowledging the refund is for breach of contract
• Get certified funds or cash - don't accept a personal check
• Only withdraw complaints AFTER you have the money in hand

That said, his $20,000 offer shows he's scared. You have leverage. Consider consulting with an attorney before settling - many construction attorneys offer free consultations and a demand letter from a lawyer might get you full recovery.

Final update (hopefully): After some back and forth and a demand letter from an attorney, the contractor agreed to refund $26,500 - the $28,000 minus $1,500 for the demo work that was actually completed. He paid via cashier's check.

I decided to keep the CSLB complaint active because I learned there are at least 4 other homeowners he did this to. They deserve to know.

Currently interviewing new contractors. This time: verified references, checking CSLB for complaints, written contract with payment schedule tied to milestones, and never paying more than 10% upfront.

Expensive lesson learned. Thanks everyone for the guidance.

Just found this thread researching my own contractor nightmare. Is there any way to find out who the other victims of a contractor are? I want to coordinate like TriciaM mentioned but CSLB doesn't list complainant names.

I found the other victims through a combination of: Yelp/Google reviews mentioning similar experiences, Nextdoor posts in neighborhoods where the contractor worked, and actually calling CSLB and asking if they could facilitate contact (they can in some cases if everyone consents). Also check if there's been any local news coverage - reporters sometimes write about serial bad contractors.