Contractor Gone · District of Columbia

Contractor gone in District of Columbia: where the money can come from

The District licenses and bonds home improvement contractors through DLCP, and the bond is the money target when a contractor vanishes. File the DLCP complaint and ask for the bond details in the same breath.

Run the free check for District of Columbia

The four paths in District of Columbia

Card chargeback	Same 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.
Contractor bond	Home improvement contractor bond, Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP). Amount: bond amount (confirm). How: Licensed home improvement contractor; claim against the bond. Deadline: confirm. confirm Agency page
Bankruptcy claim	If 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: Confirm	Ask any sub for its notice and proof before treating a lien threat as real. confirm

Is the contractor licensed?

Licensed by the DLCP Home Improvement Contractor license. Look up the license. Home improvement contractors in the District must be licensed and bonded.

Deposits and the contract

District rules restrict payments before work begins for home improvement contracts; confirm current terms with DLCP. confirm

Small claims

Small Claims and Conciliation Branch, Superior Court, generally up to $10,000 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

Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
Check the license at the link above. Licensed opens the bond; unlicensed means small claims and a report to the licensing body.
If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
File the complaint with Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) and ask for the bond and surety details. Bond claims are paid in order; file early.
Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. Ask any sub for its notice and proof before treating a lien threat as real.

The paperwork, done

The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with District of Columbia's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the bond claim, 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.