Screw collections on big exterior jobs, just walk if they balk at the lien

Been in the Chicago area my whole career painting these old brick rowhouses, and im telling you, collections are a crapshoot with commercial clients who drag their feet on paying for full exteriors. Last summer I did a $15k job with Sherwin-Williams Duration on a three-story building, masked everything perfect with 3M tape, but the property manager ghosted me for 90 days til I filed the mechanics lien. TBH, SharkBite style fittings aside, in painting we gotta stop chasing these deadbeats and just walk from jobs that smell like trouble from the start, fight me if you think its worth the hassle. Saw a similar rant in the Painting Contractors Facebook group where a guy lost 8k and said never again. Anyone else ditching the small print and demanding half upfront now?

those property managers are the WORST, always got some excuse about budget cuts.

man i feel that, been there with a 10k interior gig that took 6 months to collect.

don't ever skip the lien process, had a client skip out on 20k last year and it saved my ass.

file the lien on day 31, thats the magic number in most states.

what software you guys using for tracking these overdue invoices?

upfront deposits or no job, period.

i agree, but clients hate it when you push for 50% down on exteriors.

proud to say i havent had a bad debt in 3 years by weeding out sketchy clients early.

chicago winters make exteriors a pain anyway, collections just add to the freeze.

same here, lost a helper over the stress of chasing one.

these commercial assholes think they own you after the job.

i feel ya, had to small claims a 5k job last month.

filed a lien on a school district job, took forever but got paid.

walking away saved me more than chasing ever did.

anyone using quickbooks for collections reminders? works okay for me.

sharks in suits running these properties, they eat contractors for breakfast.

man, that chicago grind sounds brutal on top of payment BS.

controversial take: skip liens and just public shame them on social media.

i feel every word, been stiffed twice this year alone.

demand 30% upfront, 40% on material delivery, rest on completion.

those managers deserve to get walked on.

felt that, my back still hurts from hauling unpaid gear.

i commiserate, lost 7k on a condo repaint last fall.

walking from bad jobs is the only way to stay sane.

anyone else notice commercial clients pay slower post-pandemic?

proud of my system now, zero bad debts in 18 months.

use housecall pro for automated invoices, cuts the chase.

these deadbeats ruin the whole trade.

damn right, had a similar mess with a strip mall exterior.

i feel it, just starting out and already scared of collections.

haha, one time i painted a billboard to get a guys attention on payment.

walking away is underrated advice.

contractors getting screwed left and right by these types.

these property vultures are killing small ops.

start with a solid contract, spell out the lien rights.

how do you even find good commercial leads without the risk?

frustrated as hell, one client bounced a check last week.

frustrated too, chasing payments eats into family time.

big corps behind these managers, they dont care about us.

man i hear ya, same boat on a warehouse job.

controversial but true: boycotting big commercial til they pay fair.

i feel that pain, took me 4 months on a school.

ive never had issues with residential, its all commercial bs.

proud i switched to mostly res, payments on time.

track everything in a spreadsheet, saved me once.

these clients deserve the walk.

walking from a job mid-quote now if they quibble.

anyone got a good collections attorney rec?

haha, painted their door red for non-payment once.

dont chase, replace with better clients.

humor in how predictable these delays are.

warn ya, one bad lien can blacklist you locally.

i commiserate, its the worst part of the gig.

felt that after my first stiff.

man, collections stress ages you fast.

same, had to lien a church once, awkward.

use credit checks on big jobs before starting.