The Office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane recently conducted a sting operation in Bucks County that worked to ensure home improvement contractors are in compliance with the law.
In total, nine companies had legal actions filed against them by the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Unit and four warning letters were sent, Kane’s office said in a statement.
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Agents from Kane’s office and the Bucks County Consumer Protection Office worked together recently to ensure contractors are following the state’s Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA). A statement notes “the act requires home improvement contractors to register with the Office of Attorney General before they undertake home improvement projects in the Commonwealth.”
Officials said contractors were located via advertisements for potential work. Agents summoned unregistered contractors to the homes used in the sting.
“Once the contractors arrived, agents showed them the problem areas of a home, such as a roofing issue or a kitchen in need of renovation. Contractors were allowed the time to ask questions and take measurements, and were then asked for a written estimate by the agents,” Kane’s press release said.
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Contractors and the undercover agents made agreements and set dates for work to begin. After the terms were settled, agents revealed they were law enforcement and presented the contractors with a paper copy of the HICPA law, a paper registration form and a subpoena for documents related to the contractor’s business.
The Bucks County Consumer Protection Office, led by Director Mike Bannon, worked with the Attorney General’s Office on procuring houses that were used in the sting operation.
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The legal actions filed against the contractors came in the form of Assurances of Voluntary Compliance, which are legal settlements between the office and a business. ” The AVCs were entered with businesses that the Attorney General’s office believes may violate the consumer protection law in the future,” according to the press release.
The actions have produced about $8,650 in monetary relief, with at least $2,000 from one business going back to previous customers, officials said.
One contractor was reported to the Department of Homeland Security because of an issue with an undocumented immigrant.
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“My hope is that the next time contractors pick up the phone, they’ll think, ‘This could be the Attorney General’s office,’” Kane said in a written statement provided to LevittownNow.com. “Our goal is to create a level playing field for all Pennsylvania contractors and to assure consumers that the contractors they are hiring are in compliance with the law.”
To report contractors in your area
Consumers or businesses may call the Office of Attorney General’s Home Improvement Registration Hotline, at 1-888-520-6680, to report unregistered contractors operating in their communities. Complaints about unregistered contractors may also be emailed to the office at HIC@attorneygeneral.gov
Reminder to Contractors
HICPA registration is biannual from the date of your original registration. Many contractors’ original registration date was July 1, 2009, which would make July 1, 2015 their renewal date. Registration is $50. Registration forms can be completed on paper and mailed in or filed online at www.attorneygeneral.gov under the registrations tab. Contractors with questions about the law may call 717-772-2425 or email HIC@attorneygeneral.gov.
