Repair contract price cap

Definition

Above seven hundred fifty dollars the same-day repair form fails and the right to cancel returns.

Why It Matters

Work on real property never gets the personal-property exclusion, so a customer's phone call buys a handyman nothing and California offers a trade instead. A contract qualifies as service and repair only if all four hold: the price is seven hundred fifty dollars or less, the buyer initiated the contact, the contractor sells nothing beyond what the problem reasonably needs, and no payment is due or accepted until the work is finished. Qualify and the cooling-off period ends the moment the buyer holds a signed copy and the work begins. Miss by thirty dollars and the general contract section applies regardless of the aggregate contract price, including the right to cancel, so a job written on the short form carries a right none of its notices mention. It is also a license matter and cause for discipline, which is a board record that survives the sale.