UNADILLA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — If you own property and hire someone to do work or build a house, do you know what your rights are?
A Livingston County woman says you should after she says a worker for her builder tried to lock her out of her own brand new home.
Tiffany Phillips and her family were excited for a new chapter. After the long process that is building a house, they closed on the build and got signed waivers of liens.
“They were paid in full by the bank,” Phillips said as she shared documentation with 7 Action News.
Phillips says right after closing, she started moving belongings in. On March 30, she says she got a call from the building company, saying she owed more money. She says she asked for proof.
A few hours later, her security camera system notified her the builder’s employee was in her backyard. She called him.
“'Why are you at my home?'" she recalled asking. "He goes, 'Give me the code because I am getting in one way or another.'”
She asked him why he needed to get in the house.
“He told me specifically he was going to lock me out until I paid them the money,” Phillips said.
Phillips, as surveillance video shows, called police. A police report says they told the worker to leave.
7 Action News reached out to that worker, who said he was following orders and had no comment.
Josh Doyle from Homes by Josh Doyle later called 7 Action News. Doyle refused to allow us to record him over the phone but said there must be a misunderstanding. The house was just being locked so it would be safe until the builder gave a homeowner orientation to protect it for the customer.
Since the police were called, 7 Action News asked the Unadilla Township Police Department what they found.
“He told them his employer had sent him there to change the locks because the homeowner hadn’t paid yet,” Chief David Russell of the Unadilla Township Police Department said.
Russell says police gave the building company a trespassing warning, telling them not to go on the property.
“Even if you have a financial dispute with a contractor or anybody over a phone, that is your home. They can’t just take it from you. If they have a problem with you financially, they need to take it to court. If a court issues an order, something might be done, but they can’t just take it upon themselves to take your property,” Russell said.
Doyle said repeatedly there simply must be a misunderstanding.
Phillips says she is sharing her story because she has learned through social media that other people have had similar experiences with their builder and didn’t know their rights.
“I feel like everybody needs to know this is not OK,” she said.
