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Contractor Gone ยท Connecticut

Contractor gone in Connecticut: where the money can come from

Connecticut's Guaranty Fund pays up to $25,000 when a registered home improvement contractor leaves you with an unpaid judgment or restitution order. The path is DCP complaint, then small claims or Superior Court, then the fund application with the unpaid judgment attached. Check the registration first; an unregistered contractor is a DCP enforcement matter but not a fund claim.

Run the free check for Connecticut

The four paths in Connecticut

Card chargebackSame in every state. Dispute for services not rendered within 120 days of the promised completion, no later than 540 days after the payment. Each payment has its own clock.
State fundHome Improvement Guaranty Fund, Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). Cap: $25,000 per claim. Precondition: Registered home improvement contractor; a court judgment or a DCP restitution order that goes unpaid. Deadline: apply within two years of the judgment (confirm). verified Agency page
Bankruptcy claimIf the company filed, a proof of claim (Official Form 410) with the court by the bar date. A deposit for personal or household services is a priority claim up to $3,800 for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (11 U.S.C. 507(a)(7)); the rest is general unsecured.
Lien exposure: Mostly protectedA sub's lien is limited to what you still owed the contractor when the lien was served (C.G.S. 49-33). Paid in full means the lien fund is empty.

Is the contractor licensed?

Licensed by the DCP Home Improvement Contractor registration. Look up the license. Pool builders doing home improvement work must be registered with DCP.

Deposits and the contract

Contracts must be in writing with start and completion dates; a contractor who fails to start or complete is subject to DCP action. confirm

Small claims

Small Claims Session, Superior Court, generally up to $5,000 as of 2025; confirm the current limit on the court's site before filing. Above the cap, the regular civil docket, where a lawyer is optional but usual. confirm

In order

  1. Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
  2. Check the license at the link above. Licensed opens the fund; unlicensed means small claims and a report to the licensing body.
  3. If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
  4. Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
  5. File the complaint with Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). The fund claim hangs off it.
  6. Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
  7. Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. A sub's lien is limited to what you still owed the contractor when the lien was served (C.G.S. 49-33). Paid in full means the lien fund is empty.

The paperwork, done

The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with Connecticut's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the fund application, the lien-defense letter, the proof of claim worksheet, and a checklist for hiring the contractor who finishes the job. What's in it, or run the check first; the answers carry into the kit.

Page written 2026-09-07. Rows marked verified were read on the agency page or statute on the date shown in the data; rows marked confirm are from general knowledge and should be checked with the agency. Spot an error? Email jon@homestillworks.com and it gets fixed the same day.