|
Home repair scams by "itenerant" or traveling con-artist work like this: Con-artitsts stop at your door, give you a hard sell, and offer sensational low prices. It might be for roofing or painting, or asphalting your driveway. The con-artitsts insist that you pay in advance - but they do little or no work and never return. Remember, legitimate contractors very rarely solicit door-to-door. Be skeptical. The main rules are to check out a contractor, and never to pay large sums in advance to a contractor that you don't know. Help older neighbors who might be pressured or intimidated into paying traveling con-artits.
Follow these tips to protect yourself when you hire a contractor.
1. CHECK OUT THE CONTRACTOR before you sign a contract or pay any money. Ask to see the contractor's state license. Ask for local references, and check them out. Call the BBB and see if the contractor is a member in good standing. Call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division and see if it has any complaints.2. MAKE SURE YOUR PROSPECTIVE contractor has in in business for at least five years, any less than this means his company is still in the process of hoping to survive and prosper, you are assuming too much risk with a company who has not been in business long enough to learn all the ins and outs of this business, he may very well know how to do many skills and he may know how to manage other men, but the business and office ends of things take time and there is no way around that fact. Make sure the name on your contract matches the name perfectly (even one letter can mean he is disguising his real license from you) matches the name on the contract. Then go to http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/regulantlookup/selection_input.cfm?CFID=1693104&CFTOKEN=34545578 and check out his license.
2. GET IT IN WRITING. Before any work begins, agree on a written contract detailing work to be done, responsibility for permits, costs, and any other promises. Put start and completion dates in writing and consequences if the contractor fails to follow them (example: the contract could be nullified if the contractor does not start on time.) If you sign a contract at your home, in most cases you have three business days to cancel.3. AVOID PAYING LARGE SUMS IN ADVANCE IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE CONTRACTOR. Limit your exposure to no more than 20% of total contract amount. Insist on a "mechanic's lien waiver" in case the contractor fails to pay others for materials or labor. 4. BE VERY CAUTIOUS OF CREDIT OR FINANCING ARRANGED BY A CONTRACTOR. This is an area of serious abuse among a few contractors who arrange credit with high-cost lenders. Such loans may have high interest rates, steep up-front fees, and even costly brokers' fees. Check with your attorney or a local lender you can trust.
5. ANOTHER ISSUE IS INSURANCE. Ask your prospective contractor if they have both workman's compensation and general liability insurance, if they says yes, ask them if they will provide a certificate of insurance. Make sure you see this certificate before any work is started, and it might be a good idea to call the insurer to verify that the certificate is legitimate. Many contractors are either not insured at all, or only carry the cheaper general liability insurance but not workman's compensation. You could be held liable for injury or damage caused by an uninsured contractor. We suggest special care in this area; the issue of liability should be a concern for all homeowners considering their upcoming project. 6. TRUST YOUR GUT. Don't ignore those sometimes vague feelings of doubt or mistrust. These "feelings" can be a sub-conscious warning that there is something that just isn't right. Most of the times, these feeelings turn out to be correct, so if you just don't feel good about a contractor, trust yourself and find someone else to do your job.
|
