[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":84},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-question-maryland-contractor-simulator-change-order-blowup":3},{"site":4,"simulation":15,"topic":23,"question":26,"siblings":50,"prev":82,"next":83},{"name":5,"tagline":6,"title":7,"description":8,"guideTitle":9,"guideDescription":10,"ogImage":11,"disclaimer":12,"practicePitch":13,"citationsTitle":14},"Free MHIC Training","Maryland home improvement exam prep","Free MHIC Exam Prep: Maryland Home Improvement Contractor Practice","Free, narrated MHIC exam prep: 147 real Maryland contractor scenarios, every choice explained, with the law cited where it applies.","MHIC Exam Study Guide","Every scenario in the free Maryland Contractor Simulator, written out as a practice question: the situation, your options, how each choice plays out, and the Maryland law where it applies.","/og/free-mhic-training.png","Free MHIC Training is free study material for the Maryland home improvement contractor exam. It is not affiliated with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission and is not legal advice.","The free Maryland Contractor Simulator puts you in situations like these across a 40-day contracting career, narrated, with your license on the line. No account needed.","Law and codes cited",{"slug":16,"title":17,"subtitle":18,"description":19,"maxTurns":20,"characterCount":21,"scenarioCount":22},"maryland-contractor-simulator","Maryland Contractor Simulator","Learn the law by living it.","You just got your MHIC license application approved and you're starting your home improvement business in Maryland. Navigate real contractor scenarios — contracts, permits, clients, subcontractors, and inspectors. Every choice teaches you the law through consequence, not memorization. Master all five exam areas to pass.",40,20,147,{"slug":24,"title":25},"payments-change-orders","Deposits, Payments & Change Orders",{"slug":27,"title":28,"description":29,"takeaway":30,"situation":31,"speaker":34,"speakerDescription":35,"speakerAvatar":36,"audioUrl":37,"choices":38,"citations":49},"change-order-blowup","Can you collect for extra work that was never put in writing?","Possibly not. Without a signed change order you did the extra work at your own risk, and the homeowner is within her rights to hold to the contract price.","Possibly not. Without a signed change order you did the extra work at your own risk, and the homeowner is within her rights to hold to the contract price. Get every change in writing before doing the work.",[32,33],"The project is done. Sarah opens the final invoice and sees $4,200 more than the contract price.","\"We never agreed to this! The contract says $22,000, not $26,200. I'm not paying a penny over what's in writing.\"","Sarah Mitchell","A first-time homeowner who wants a kitchen renovation. Excited but nervous about hiring a contractor.","/media/characters/homeowner_sarah.png","/media/voices/change_order_blowup.mp3",[39,44],{"text":40,"verdict":41,"label":42,"explanation":43},"Show her the granite countertops and undercabinet lighting she requested, acknowledge you should have documented it, and negotiate a fair resolution","note","Lesson learned","You installed $4,200 in upgrades she asked for, but without written authorization you have weak standing. She may agree to pay part of it, but she's within her rights to hold to the contract price. The lesson: ALWAYS document changes in writing before performing the work. A 5-minute change order saves a $4,200 argument.",{"text":45,"verdict":46,"label":47,"explanation":48},"Refuse to hand over the final inspection paperwork until she pays the full amount","wrong","Wrong","Withholding inspection paperwork or certificates of completion as leverage is coercive and can be considered a violation. The contract price is $22,000. Without a signed change order, you authorized the additional work at your own risk. Filing an MHIC complaint is Sarah's natural next step, and the Commission will look at the contract, not your verbal recollection.",[],[51,54,57,60,63,66,69,72,73,76,79],{"slug":52,"title":53,"topic":24},"deposit-too-large","How large a deposit can a Maryland contractor take?",{"slug":55,"title":56,"topic":24},"payment-schedule-dispute","Can you accept full payment up front for a home improvement job?",{"slug":58,"title":59,"topic":24},"deposit-refund-demand","Must you refund a deposit if the homeowner cancels before work starts?",{"slug":61,"title":62,"topic":24},"chase-sarah-payment","How do you collect an overdue progress payment?",{"slug":64,"title":65,"topic":24},"final-payment-holdback","Can a homeowner hold back part of the final payment?",{"slug":67,"title":68,"topic":24},"payment-by-credit-card","Who pays the fee when a homeowner pays by credit card?",{"slug":70,"title":71,"topic":24},"change-order-dispute","Does added work need a written change order?",{"slug":27,"title":28,"topic":24},{"slug":74,"title":75,"topic":24},"rain-delay-dispute","How do you handle a weather delay past the contract completion date?",{"slug":77,"title":78,"topic":24},"insurance-adjuster-dispute","What if the insurance payout is lower than your estimate?",{"slug":80,"title":81,"topic":24},"newlyweds-budget-panic","How do you handle a client whose vision is bigger than the budget?",{"slug":70,"title":71,"topic":24},{"slug":74,"title":75,"topic":24},1792184484118]