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 wired a $250,000 deposit to a contractor last spring for a full renovation of your Cobble Hill brownstone. The demo happened, some framing went up, and then the crew stopped showing up. Emails go unanswered, the job site sits behind construction fencing, and your architect just told you the contractor's other clients are asking the same questions. If a contractor abandoned your renovation in New York, you have real legal rights — but the money is often already gone, and t

You signed a $475,000 gut renovation contract for your Bay Ridge two-family last spring. The contract was two pages long, printed on the contractor's letterhead, with no cancellation notice, and a $200,000 deposit due on signing. Six months later the project is 40% complete, the deposit is spent, and your contractor stopped answering the phone. What most homeowners don't realize is that this two-page contract almost certainly violates GBL Article 36-A — and that violation is