Building Inspector Warns of Bogus Contractors
N. Caldwell official urges residents to be careful who they hire for home repairs.
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The knocks on the door, phone calls and advertisements in newspapers that occurred in New Orleans and other natural disaster stricken regions have already begun to flood residents of the greater Caldwells area, Ronald Young said Friday.
"Be very, very careful with who you hire," he warned.
According to Young, North Caldwell's construction official and building inspector, many out-of-state contractors not licensed in New Jersey have arrived in the area offering to provide cheap labor to repair homes damaged by flooding or fallen trees.
These deals, however, may not be as good as they seem.
"These are people who take advantage of people in duress," Young said. "They'll come in and say, 'Hey, I can do it really cheap. Give me $3,000.' Then they never show up. They're gypsies. They come in and do natural disasters all the time."
In addition, contractors not licensed with the state of New Jersey will be unable to obtain a building permit, according to Young, who said the burden will then fall on the homeowner.
"If you don't have a building permit, which they won't get if they're not licensed, the homeowner is technically responsible for any job that happens in the house," he said. "We try to go after the contractor, but we can't find them. So who winds up with the fine? The homeowner."
To assist victims of storms like these, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs offers the following tips when hiring a contractor:
- Verify the firm's reputation
- Verify the contractor is licensed, certified and/or registered for the work that will be conducted
- Ask for past references
- Ask for a written estimate
- Ask for a legal written contract
- Ask for any guarantees in writing
- Obtain and maintain a copy of the final signed contract
- Ensure that all of the necessary permits are obtained prior to starting work
- Prior to final payment, ensure that all required inspections are conducted and approved by the authority that has jurisdiction
According to Young, there are about 10 to 12 homes in North Caldwell damaged from the storm, mostly caused by fallen trees.
A former school teacher and Caldwell firefighter for 12 years, Young has seen residents become victims of contractors during his 23 years with the Borough of North Caldwell.
But following last week's storm, Young's concern has been heightened even more.
"In New Jersey, you need a state license to do work—electrician, plumbing, everybody needs a license now to do home repair, including landscapers," Young said. "We're having people come from out of state, because they don't have any work, coming in because we have the floods. They come in, take money and disappear. I'm concerned for the public."
