Contractor Took My $8,000 Deposit and Disappeared - What Can I Do? (2025)

I am absolutely livid right now and don't know what to do. Back in November I hired a contractor to do a complete kitchen remodel. He seemed legit - had a website, showed me photos of past work, gave me a written contract.

I paid him $8,000 as a deposit (40% of the $20,000 total job). He said he needed it for materials and to schedule his crew. We agreed work would start December 9th.

December 9th comes - nothing. No call, no show. I text him and he says "sorry, crew got delayed on another job, we'll be there Monday." Monday comes - nothing again.

This goes on for THREE WEEKS. Every time I call he has another excuse. Then right after Christmas his phone goes straight to voicemail. Texts don't deliver. I drove by the address on his business card - it's a UPS store mailbox.

The contractor took my money and disappeared. $8,000 gone. I feel like such an idiot. My wife is furious. We were supposed to have family over for the holidays and instead we have a half-demolished kitchen because I already started demo work myself.

What are my options here? Can I sue? Should I call the police? I saved all the texts and have the contract. Please help.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately contractor scams like this are way too common. The good news is you have several legal options.

First question: Was this contractor licensed?

You can look up the contractor's license status on the CSLB website. What name was on the contract?

I just checked the CSLB website. The license number on his business card comes back as "Inactive - Expired 2023" and the name doesn't even match. So he was using someone else's old license number??

This gets worse and worse. So he was operating unlicensed the whole time.

Warning signs you should watch for next time (for anyone reading this):

• Large upfront deposits: California law limits contractor deposits to $1,000 OR 10% of teh contract price, whichever is less. A 40% deposit was already illegal.
• No physical business address: UPS stores and PO boxes are red flags
• License number that doesn't verify: ALWAYS check CSLB before signing anything
• Pressure to pay in cash: Legit contractors take checks and cards
• No workers comp insurance: Ask for proof - if they don't have it, you're liable if someone gets hurt on your property
• Won't provide references: Real contractors have past clients happy to vouch for them

Mike, I'm sorry you learned this the hard way. The $8,000 deposit alone was a violation of contractor law - that gives you additional ammunition in court.

Adding to what others have said - you should also consider filing a police report for theft by false pretenses or fraud.

Many people think contractor disputes are "civil matters" that police won't touch. But taking money with no intention of performing work is actually criminal fraud. The fact that he used a fake/expired license number is evidence of intent to deceive.

Why file a police report even if they don't arrest him:

• Creates official documentation of the crime
• Can be used as evidence in your civil case
• If multiple people report the same person, it can trigger an actual investigation
• Some jurisdictions have DA consumer fraud units that prosecute these cases
• A criminal record or warrant can motivate them to settle your civil claim

Also report to your local District Attorney's office - many have consumer protection divisions. And file a complaint with the state Attorney General.

The more paper trail you create, the harder it is for this guy to keep scamming people.

Following up with a summary of Mike's action plan based on this thread:

Immediate steps (do this week):

You have a very strong case. The law is heavily on your side here. Keep us posted on how it goes.