Unsigned extra work

Definition

In California, extra work with no signed order is outside the contract and unenforceable against the buyer.

Why It Matters

California does not merely make an unsigned change order hard to prove; it keeps that work out of the contract and makes it unenforceable against the buyer. The order has to state three things: the scope of the extra work, the money added or subtracted, and its effect on the progress payments or the completion date. The contractor keeps only a claim for the value of the work under the rules against unjust enrichment, argued job by job. The same section caps a downpayment at one thousand dollars or ten percent of the contract price, whichever is less. A handyman book grows on small additions agreed at the door, so ask to see the change orders from three recent jobs. If none exist on paper, some share of the revenue being priced is a claim to litigate, not a receivable.