Four Signs Your Contractor Is A Fraud

One of the biggest issues that most homeowners have to face when they are doing renovations is that good contractors are hard to come by. You want to be able to hire somebody that you can trust to get the job done, to be in your home when you’re not there, and to get your home finished without cutting corners or going too far over your budget. Of course, budgetary conversations happen before your contractor gets to work, but one of the things that you need to look out for is whether or not your contractor is a fraud.

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Did you know that contractor fraud is actually a very serious business? It can end up costing you up to twice as much as you would’ve originally spent to renovate your house just because your contractor does not stick to the law. Not only would you lose your money to this company, but find it very difficult to get it back. You can bring a case with companies like https://www.thomaslawoffices.com/, but at the end of the day you have to know the signs that your contractor is a fraud so that you can combat this as much as possible. There is an emotional toll that comes in with a contractor who is a fraud, and with these four signs, you can tell whether or not your contractor is somebody who you shouldn’t trust or somebody you should. Let’s take a look.

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• They don’t want to give you any references. As a homeowner, everybody will tell you to ask for your contractor references and recommendations before they start working the job. If your contractor won’t give you a list of previous clients, or you can’t verify any of the previous work, then this should raise a red flag for you. Of course, you can Google your contractors name and see whether any previous work comes up there, but if that doesn’t bring any joy, then maybe look around for someone else. If they don’t have references, the chances are they don’t have a valid contractor license or insurance either.
• They don’t believe that your project requires permits. Unless you’re just putting up some slides in the backyard, you will need permits for almost every other job. Inspectors are there to help you, and they need to make sure that your building codes and regular government codes are followed. A contractor who is not aware of these codes or pretends they don’t exist, is a walking red flag and you should run.
• They stall on your line item cost breakdown. Every contractor should be happy to give you a line item cost for everything that they need. They should also help you with your materials costs. If they don’t, there is a problem. If you have a materials list and  a cost breakdown, you can make timely payments for the work that has been completed. Without that cost breakdown, you won’t have a clue what you should be paying.
• They’ve asked you for a massive payment upfront. For all contractors, a deposit is normal. However, a deposit shouldn’t be most of the cost of the job. You should be able to get through the job that they have been asked to do and you should be able to pay everything in installments with the final payment at the end when the job is completed and to a high standard.

This is a contributed post.

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