Q. Last week you had the building
commissioner for the City of Lowell on your radio show
and I got the impression that he likes the new Home
Improvement Contractor Law and he thinks it will “weed
out” the bad contractors. What I want to know is what
will stop the bad contractors from not registering and
won’t the good contractors end up paying for the
bad?
A. Obviously, some
contractors may try to circumvent the law by not
registering. However, there are some “teeth” in this
new law and the penalties for performing home
improvement work without registering are pretty severe
(fines up to $5,000.00 and up to 2 years imprisonment
or both). As far as contractors who are registered
paying for those who are not, I don’t think that can
happen according to the way in which the “guaranty
fund” may be accessed. Homeowners that hire
unregistered contractors will not be eligible to
collect any money from this fund. Now, the homeowner
who tries to save a buck by hiring an unregistered
contractor, will have no one but themselves to blame
if that contractor takes their money and never
finishes the work.
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Q. I thought I heard
that some contractors are exempt from registration.
How do I know if my contractor is one of those
required to register and if so, how do I find out if
he or she is indeed registered?
A. According to Chapter 142A, all
general contractors who are performing residential
repairs or remodeling, at a cost of $1,000.00 dollars
or more are required to be registered. You are correct
that certain specific trades (i.e. plumbers,
electricians, tile setters, landscapers, etc.) are
exempt from registration provided they limit their
work to their specific trade. For more information and
to find out if a contractor has had any judgements
against them you can call the Director of Home Improvement Contractor
Registration at 617
727-8598.
Richard Ebner is the creator of
the column and the radio show, both called House
Calls. Ebner also owns the Village House Surgeon, a
construction company in Chelmsford,
MA. |
