Contractor Gone ยท New Jersey
Contractor gone in New Jersey: where the money can come from
New Jersey has no fund, but the Consumer Fraud Act's treble damages make a registered contractor's contract violations expensive, and the Division of Consumer Affairs acts on abandoned jobs. The Xtreme Pool Builders bankruptcy is the live example here: the complaint still goes in, and the money claim goes to the bankruptcy court.
Run the free check for New Jersey
The four paths in New Jersey
| 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. |
| State fund | None. New Jersey has no recovery fund and no state bond program for homeowners. The money paths are the chargeback, small claims or civil court, and the bankruptcy claim if there is a case. |
| 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: Mostly protected | New Jersey's residential lien law requires the sub to go through arbitration before filing, and the lien is limited to what you still owed the contractor. Paid in full means an empty lien fund. |
Is the contractor licensed?
Licensed by the Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor registration. Look up the license. Registered contractors must carry $500,000 in liability insurance. There is a New Home Warranty program, but it covers new houses, not pools or remodels.
Deposits and the contract
No cap on deposits, but the Contractors' Registration Act and the Consumer Fraud Act require a written contract with start and completion dates; violations carry treble damages. confirm
Small claims
Special Civil Part, small claims, 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
- 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 licensing complaint; 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 the Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor registration. It pays nothing but it is the pressure that gets refunds.
- 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. New Jersey's residential lien law requires the sub to go through arbitration before filing, and the lien is limited to what you still owed the contractor. Paid in full means an empty lien fund.
Failed companies in New Jersey with a page
- Xtreme Pool Builders, LLC, Estell Manor, New Jersey: Filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition on August 6, 2026, in the U.
The paperwork, done
The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with New Jersey's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the small-claims worksheet, 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.