California Department Of Consumer Affairs

It is important to be very careful consumer when it comes to home improvement contractors. For example, I had a case where my client, the elderly and blind woman, signed a contract and paid $ 30,000.00 to home improvement company that disappeared with all of your money! Unfortunately, the company is a scam operation, my client lost her life savings and it will take some time in court before my client may ever see your money again however, her mistake will be a lesson for all of you, because this article explains how to protect yourself from home improvement fraud.

before signing any contract with a home improvement company, first ask that company for their license number and check it out with your state or county Consumer Affairs Division business license. Find License Division on the web or call information and get their number. Would you like to know (1) the name and address associated with the license number given to you, (2) If the company is currently licensed and the license expiration date, and (3) whether any complaints have been made against it tvrtke.Odgovore to these questions will help you determine if you want to proceed with signing the contract. Make sure the contractor and the company works for a license to operate in the state.

If your will sign a contract and then make sure certain things are included in accordance with your understanding and according to the needs of your country home improvement business Zakona.Ugovorna company name, address and telephone number should be printed on the contract. Also, it is important that the contracting company's home improvement license number is printed on the contract and that does not differ from the number you called and inquired axis of Consumer Affairs. Finally, make sure that all work to be performed is specified in the contract and the approximate date of commencement and completion of work involved. You should put a penalty clause in the contract of contractors failure to timely complete the work because contractors are notorious for starting jobs, and then goes on for several days or weeks to do other tasks while sitting and waiting for the gutting of the kitchen for his return. Once contract terms are satisfactory then the contract must be signed by both you and the representative of the company.

Example of the Law on Consumer Protection in the New York General Business Law § 771 ("GBL") requiring all home improvement contracts must be in writing and contain certain terms of payment, fees for services and materials and start and completion dates , among other conditions. GBL § 771 is a consumer protection statute to prevent misunderstandings between contractor had consumer and protect consumers from overreaching of the contractor, such as charging for work that was not agreed. GBL § 771 limits the contractor who disregards its written contract requirements to satisfactorily proving to the court every item of work is done and a reasonable value for each item by detailed invoices, timesheets and proof of hourly rates, among other evidence. So, if the entrepreneur who failed to put their home improvement work in writing attempts to collect $ 20,000.00 from you, he must prove the value of their services in detail before scaring you into paying the amount that he had no idea about it. New Jersey's consumer fraud law and the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act even further by denying the contractor recovers any money if he violates any of the consumer law and he will pay three times the amount of damages (called treble damages) to the consumer for him not to get proper permits or licenses or any other breach of these laws.

Finally, to protect themselves not paying 100% upfront. Most companies are contracting to ask for a deposit on signing his contract. I suggest you put down as little as possible and arrange a payment schedule with the company where you pay a certain amount as certain work is completed. Of course, always be taken, signed by the company and state the date and amount of any amount paid for the company, if you pay anything in cash.

This article is certainly not all inclusive and is intended only as a brief explanation of the legal issues presented. Not all cases are alike and it is strongly recommended that you consult with an attorney if you have any questions regarding any legal matter.

any questions and / or comments with regard to this subject or any other topic, please contact:

Law Office of Susan Chana LASK

853 Broadway, Suite 1516

New York, NY 10003

(212) 358-5762
Susan Chana Lask, Esq. c 2004