[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":83},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-question-maryland-contractor-simulator-payment-schedule-dispute":3},{"site":4,"simulation":15,"topic":23,"question":26,"siblings":49,"prev":81,"next":82},{"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":34,"speakerAvatar":34,"audioUrl":35,"choices":36,"citations":47},"payment-schedule-dispute","Can you accept full payment up front for a home improvement job?","No. Business Regulation §8-617 caps any deposit before or at signing at one-third of the contract price, and the homeowner's offer does not waive the limit.","No. Business Regulation §8-617 caps any deposit before or at signing at one-third of the contract price, and the homeowner's offer does not waive the limit. Use a milestone payment schedule instead.",[32,33],"A new client wants to pay for the entire $45,000 renovation upfront. \"I just want to write one check and not think about it.\"","Your standard payment schedule is: 10% deposit, 30% at rough-in, 30% at finish, 30% at final inspection.",null,"/media/voices/payment_schedule_dispute.mp3",[37,42],{"text":38,"verdict":39,"label":40,"explanation":41},"Thank her for the trust but stick to the payment schedule — it protects both of you. Taking a full payment upfront creates risk for the homeowner and invites regulatory scrutiny","best","Correct","Taking the full price up front is illegal in Maryland even when the homeowner offers it. Business Regulation §8-617 caps any deposit at one-third of the contract price before or at signing — $15,000 on this $45,000 job. If your business hits trouble mid-project, the homeowner loses everything. Large upfront payments are one of the most common MHIC complaint patterns. A milestone-based payment schedule aligns payment with progress and protects both parties. It also demonstrates financial stability — you don't need their money to start.",{"text":43,"verdict":44,"label":45,"explanation":46},"Take the full $45,000 — her money, her choice","wrong","Illegal","Business Regulation §8-617 bars a deposit of more than one-third of the contract price before or at signing, and the homeowner's consent doesn't waive it. Collecting $45,000 at signing is three times the legal limit, and exactly the pattern that generates MHIC Guaranty Fund claims. If anything goes wrong — you get sick, a subcontractor disappears, materials are backordered — the homeowner has paid $45,000 for an unfinished kitchen. This is how contractors end up on the news and in front of the Commission.",[48],"Business Regulation §8-617",[50,53,54,57,60,63,66,69,72,75,78],{"slug":51,"title":52,"topic":24},"deposit-too-large","How large a deposit can a Maryland contractor take?",{"slug":27,"title":28,"topic":24},{"slug":55,"title":56,"topic":24},"deposit-refund-demand","Must you refund a deposit if the homeowner cancels before work starts?",{"slug":58,"title":59,"topic":24},"chase-sarah-payment","How do you collect an overdue progress payment?",{"slug":61,"title":62,"topic":24},"final-payment-holdback","Can a homeowner hold back part of the final payment?",{"slug":64,"title":65,"topic":24},"payment-by-credit-card","Who pays the fee when a homeowner pays by credit card?",{"slug":67,"title":68,"topic":24},"change-order-dispute","Does added work need a written change order?",{"slug":70,"title":71,"topic":24},"change-order-blowup","Can you collect for extra work that was never put in writing?",{"slug":73,"title":74,"topic":24},"rain-delay-dispute","How do you handle a weather delay past the contract completion date?",{"slug":76,"title":77,"topic":24},"insurance-adjuster-dispute","What if the insurance payout is lower than your estimate?",{"slug":79,"title":80,"topic":24},"newlyweds-budget-panic","How do you handle a client whose vision is bigger than the budget?",{"slug":51,"title":52,"topic":24},{"slug":55,"title":56,"topic":24},1792184484118]