You wired $150,000 to a home improvement contractor in April for a full renovation of your Astoria two-family. He tore out the kitchen, framed one bathroom wall, then stopped answering the phone. When you check your bank statement, that deposit is gone — and so is he. Most NYC homeowners assume a stolen deposit is a lost cause, so they call their bank, file a police report, and give up. It isn't a lost cause. New York's home improvement deposit escrow rules are stronger than

You paid a contractor $180,000 to gut-renovate the parlor floor of your Park Slope brownstone. Work started in March. By June, the framing was up, drywall was half-hung, and the crew stopped showing up. Phone calls go to voicemail. Text messages go unread. Meanwhile, two subcontractors just filed mechanic's liens against your home, and your family is living in a construction zone with no end in sight. Contractor abandonment in New York is one of the most financially devastati