So, whaddya think?

[gsmittle]

Who should get the $$$?

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/contrac...00010000000001

g.

[final_t]

Owner. Law is pretty clear on that part. He was a hired contractor for the house owner, doesn't matter if he was a long-time friend or not. Amazing what greed will do to people.

[LinuxRandal]

I don't know what law they are refering to when they talk about a finders keepers law, but:
Was there a contract?
If there is a finders keepers law, then why did the contractor call the homeowner?
Since this was in a box that was attached, and buried in Real property, does the traditional real property rules apply?

[Habe]

Bet that future remodeling contracts will have a clause in them about things found when doing a remodel. Just one more step away from common sense and what is right.

[Ed62]

I think the proper thing to do with something like that would be to give it to me.

Ed

[cabinetman]

IMO, the contractor found property somewhere in the house, it doesn't matter where. To keep it would be theft of real property. Does it matter which side of a wall it was found, I don't think so.
.

[crokett]

Contractor found it on her property it is hers. He is not entitled to anything - 10% was something she did not have to do.

[Richard in Smithville]

When the woman bought the house, she bought everything that came with it. Anything found within the walls belongs to her. You wouldn't think of claiming 40% of the studs?

[cgallery]

Contractor gets nothing.

If I were the contractor, that wouldn't bother me at all. I would be so happy for my friend if I were in that position. Of course, I'd hope to help her spend some of the money (maybe get to go shopping w/ her for her new car or something).

BTW, someone please tell me they are checking other walls (and floors).

[Pappy]

Without reading other's comments, it's the homeowner's property. I think the offer of 10% was quite fair.

[Tom Slick]

hey, while I was working I opened this drawer and found $500 under your socks, it's mine now. what would the answer be? same as in this situation, the HO owns it, the contractor is a theif.

[Tequila]

10% is downright generous. The "finder's keeper's" law can't possible apply to something you found in someone's house.

[chopnhack]

Agreed, she was awefully nice, I hope the contractor gets that one day when he's not so hungry for money and realizes that he would of screwed over a friend for paper!

[jseklund]

My first impression is that the homeowner, or the HO as Tom Slick put it, gets the cash.

However, LinuxRandal does raise one very interesting question- was there actually a contract? He may be referred to as a "contractor" in the articles because he is a contractor for a living. But if he was not under contract- then this may raise some other questions.

If there WAS a contract- was it written in the contract that he would hall away debris? This would imply that he takes posession of whatever he finds in the walls and cannot reuse for the construction. In this case, would he have a right to all of the $$?

Also, just for more of a devil's advocate- the 10% may have been very generous. But what about the phone call? How generous was that. If he were an illegal immigrant working for one of the contractors around here, and he opened my wall and found this....I'd be psyched he made the call. I doubt it would have happened though. I would have never known about it because they would have taken it all, and left with the job half finished.