Contractor Problems in Delaware: Complaints and Your Options

Short answerIf a contractor job goes wrong in Delaware, here is what we could confirm on official pages: where to file a complaint, contract and cancellation rules, liens on your home. Each item links to its source. Keep your contract, payments and photos.

Where to file a complaint

File a Consumer Complaint Form online, or call (800) 220-5424 or (302) 577-8600. Intake investigators try informal mediation by phone or letter, and possible violations of law go to a supervisor. Source

Contract and cancellation rules

Under Delaware's Home Improvement Services Regulation, you must be given a written contract with all material terms, including the item or service and the price, and with final terms filled in before you sign. You must be told of your right to cancel if the contract was sold door to door. The state summary was revised October 31, 2023. Source

Liens on your home

Delaware Code section 2707 says no lien may be obtained on a home used solely as the owner's residence when the owner has made full or final payment to the contractor in good faith. Before or at final payment, the contractor must give the owner a notarized certification of full payment or a signed release of liens. If the owner has not fully paid in good faith, a lien is limited to the unpaid balance owed to the contractor. Source

This is general information, not legal advice. A topic we don't list means we couldn't confirm it on an official page, not that the protection doesn't exist.

Delaware licensing and costs · All states

General information, not professional advice. Conditions, codes and prices vary. Turn off power, gas or water before any work, and hire a licensed professional when in doubt. Cost figures are our estimates, not quotes.