Does every homeowner have a 3-day right to cancel?

Work it through

You're the contractor. Pick what you'd do, then see how each choice plays out.

1. AThe 3-day cancellation right applies to door-to-door sales, not contracts signed at your office. She's bound by the contract terms, but offer to discuss her concerns before pulling the legal card
   Correct

   The 3-business-day right to cancel under the Door-to-Door Sales Act only applies to contracts initiated through unsolicited door-to-door contact. A contract signed at your office after the homeowner contacted you is not a door-to-door sale. However, being inflexible about a customer who clearly has cold feet often creates more problems than it solves. Discuss her concerns — she may just need reassurance.

2. BHonor the cancellation — every customer has a 3-day right to cancel under Maryland law
   Incorrect

   The 3-day cancellation right is NOT universal. It only applies to door-to-door sales under the Maryland Door-to-Door Sales Act. Contracts initiated by the homeowner and signed at your place of business do not carry an automatic cancellation period. However, your contract may include its own cancellation provisions, and forcing an unwilling client to proceed usually ends badly.

3. CTell her cancellation means she forfeits her deposit as a penalty
   Aggressive

   While your contract may include a cancellation fee to cover your actual costs (time spent on planning, materials ordered), automatically forfeiting a deposit as 'penalty' without justification can be considered unfair. Any retained deposit should reflect actual damages incurred, not a punitive charge. Unreasonable cancellation penalties generate MHIC complaints.