How Do I Hire a Reliable Contractor?
Honest contractors say trust is a two-way street.
Adisreputable driveway paving crew has been bulldozing through Vancouver neighbourhoods this spring, offering cut-rate, no-tax deals for homeowners who pay up front. “We received 10 calls in three days on these guys,” said Lynda Pasacreta, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Lower Mainland. The complaints relate to shoddy workmanship, low-grade materials and jobs left uncompleted, sometimes with the original driveway in pieces and the contractor long gone. For Pasacreta, it is another sign of summer. Warmer weather usually leads to unscrupulous and unqualified people showing up at homes with offers to do everything from landscaping to roofing, she notes. “What may seem like a great deal could end up emptying your pockets,” she said. Complaints about contractors include high-pressure sales tactics, confusion over contract terms, poor workmanship, incomplete job performance and overcharging the agreed upon price, she explained. And, she said, as the renovation industry kicks into high gear in the run-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, renovation scams will likely increase. With honest contractors working flat out and more people trying to add rental suites in anticipation of the games, Metro Vancouver and Whistler could become a target-rich environment for dishonest dealers. Scam artists also damage honest contractors, said Alvin Epp, president of Kelrek Services Ltd. and the immediatepast chairman of the Renovators’ Council of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association (GVHBA). “Fly-by-nighters” stain the entire home renovation industry, and drag a note of suspicion into dealings between honest people, he said. Epp candidly adds, however, that the trust issue is a two-way street. Shady or misinformed homeowners can also shoulder the blame for renovations gone wrong, he says. Examples include homeowners insisting on cheap, non-conforming building materials, refusing to pay for change orders that they verbally requested or pressuring contractors into not charging the GST. “Some clients do try to take advantage of contractors,” Epp said.
Keeping the bad guys out
Pasacreta and Epp recommend the following when hiring and working with a renovation company:
• Get it in writing
Ensure all details and verbal promises are included in a contract. Review it and make sure that you understand everything. Never sign a contract with sections left blank.
• Check for qualifications
Verify the individual is licensed, bonded, insured and has registered with WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board). He or she should also be a member in good standing with the BBB, and a reputable trade association, such as the GVHBA Renovators’ Council or the CHBA-Seato- Sky, which represents qualified Whistler and Squamish area contractors.
• Don’t always go for the lowest bid. If estimates for the same work vary widely, find out why. Some unscrupulous operators will use sub-standard materials or take longer to finish the job.
• Do not pay in cash and do not make cheques payable to an individual, only the company. Pay all the taxes.
• Avoid “bait and switch” tactics. Some disreputable companies will offer low prices for installing items like windows and home siding, but then claim the item is out of stock and can only be replaced with a high-priced substitute. Have everything in writing and know
the terms in advance.
• Do not be pressured into hiring anyone. Take the time to do your due diligence. If you did sign and would like to change your mind, B.C. law states that, if it was a door-to-door sales contract you have 10 days to inform the company.
• Avoid crooked contractors by going to bbb.org for a reliability report. You will also find hiring tips and can request a job quote from BBB Accredited Businesses.