Consumer Tips

Hiring Home Improvement Contractors

Each year New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs receives thousands of complaints from consumers who hire contractors that produce poor quality workmanship or fail to complete the work at all.

Starting December 31, 2005, The New Jersey Contractors’ Registration Act required home improvement contractors to register with the State annually. Contractors who are not registered or licensed will not be permitted to do home improvement projects in New Jersey or obtain building permits.

What is the difference between licensed and registered? Electricians, plumbers and architects are required to be licensed. To become licensed in these areas, individuals must complete specific educational requirements and apprenticeship training or internships prior to taking and passing state board tests. Home improvement contractors such as carpenters, masons, flooring installers, painters and a host of other trades who work on residential or noncommercial properties in New Jersey must be registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs.

Unfortunately, there are no educational requirements or experience required to be registered. Although a contractor’s experience or competence is not validated, the law does provide some level of protection for consumers that did not exist prior to 2006.

To become registered in New Jersey, individuals or entities doing home improvement projects in New Jersey are required to submit the following information to the Division:

The law also protects the consumer by requiring all home improvement projects costing $500 or more to be in writing. The written contract should include:

Signed contracts may be canceled by the consumer for any reason before midnight of the third business day after receiving a copy of the contract. If you wish to cancel the contract, you must send a signed and dated written notice of cancellation by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested or personally deliver the letter to the name and address listed on the contract. If you cancel the contract within the three day period, you are entitled to a full refund of deposit money.

How can I find a competent and reliable contractor?

Usually the best way to find a competent and reliable contractor is a recommendation from a family member or friend, preferably someone who had a first hand experience working with the contractor. Some of the things you would want to know are if they were pleased with the quality of work and what was the overall experience of their project. Did the contractor show up when he or she said they would? Did they use the products and materials quoted in the contract? Did they respect your property and clean up daily? Did they complete the job for the agreed price? Although there is no guarantee you’ll have the same positive experience, a personal recommendation should be your first choice. If you can’t get a recommendation and must rely on advertisements such as the Yellow Pages, newspaper ads or web sites, there are steps you can take to increases your chances of finding a suitable candidate for your remodeling project. Listed below are some guidelines you can follow:

Now that you have set up appointments, what should you look for? Think of it as if you are the employer interviewing candidates for a job. Ask yourself the following questions:

If you think about the above questions during this interview, it may help you decide who is best suited for your project and who you feel most comfortable working with.

There are a couple of other things you can do to prepare for the initial interview. I often hear complaints from people who have difficulty getting contractors to return calls or getting back to them after the initial visit. Although there is no excuse for this, it happens frequently. So what can you do? Try to be clear on what it is you want done. A sketch or drawing would be helpful or a picture from a magazine. It is impossible to price out a job without enough information. If they are not clear on what it is they’re bidding on, you may not hear from them. Also, the contractor should be able to tell you if the project requires the services of an architect or designer.

Now we can go over what questions you should ask the contractors. The first things most homeowners want to know are how much and when can you do it? While a budget and timetable are important, you should also focus on someone who is going to respect your property and produce quality workmanship.

Here are some questions you may want to ask prospective contractors:

As I mentioned earlier, price and timetable may be important, but be sure to consider the other points that I mentioned in this article and trust your own instincts.

For more information on hiring a home improvement contractors, contact the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs 1-800-242-5846 www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov.

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