Home Repair Scams

Fight Back: Home Repair Scams

Elderly low-income seniors long have been a favored target among home repair scam artists, who sell unnecessary and overpriced "home improvements" and even go so far as to attach liens to the homes of seniors who refuse to pay for shoddy or incomplete work, according to the National Consumer Law Center. Seniors can protect themselves from unscrupulous contractors by following these tips:
􀂄 Never purchase home improvement services from a door-to-door contractor or on the basis of a television commercial.
􀂄 Always get a second estimate for the same job from another contractor before you sign a contract for work to be performed.
􀂄 Always get a written contract or estimate that describes the job, the price, the hourly rate for any additional work and the contractor's clean-up responsibilities.
􀂄 Get references and call them.
􀂄 Visit other job sites to review work previously preformed by the contractor.
􀂄 Watch out for bait-and-switch tactics and shady financing schemes.

Source: National Consumer Law Center