2
Veterans Way 47 Hillside Dr. N. Elliot Lake, ON Elliot
Lake, ON P5A 1Z6 P5A 1X5 Ph. (705) 848-30009 (705) 848-6975 Fax.
(705) 848-6524 Partners in Community
Policing
Senior’s Issues Office
Know who you are letting into your home.
You wouldn’t just let any person look through your bank accounts and have access to your finances, then why would you allow a total stranger into your home and pay them whatever price they ask to do a job without asking any questions.
The Seniors
Issues Office wants to remind Seniors about the importance of getting quotes in
writing as well as getting more than one quote for work you are having done in
your home. There are a lot of dishonest
people out there willing to separate you from your hard earned money without a
blink of an eye.
With Spring in
the air, many person’s thoughts turn to spring cleanup and home renovations and
in most cases this means hiring someone to do the work for you. With a little
knowledge and doing your homework this shouldn’t be a daunting task. The key is to ask questions and to do a
little research. Remember you are
paying these people and they will be working in your home so you have every
right to be cautious. You are basically hiring someone to do work for you so in
fact you are his or her employer so you need to find out as much about them as
possible.
If you are
hiring a contractor make sure they have the proper liability insurance and are
registered with the Workers Compensation Board. Ask to see
proof of this.
A conscientious contractor will be happy to show you proof of their
insurance. Also ask for proof of
company registration and ask if the employees are bonded or have had Criminal
Records checks. This last item may not
be necessary but could give you piece of mind knowing that trusted people are
working in your home.
Make sure the
contractor is willing to give you a written warranty on all work performed and
ask for written receipts for all deposits and payments you make.
A written
contract is a necessity. Make sure to get everything in writing. If there are changes from the original
contract be sure to rewrite the contract.
If there is financing involved make sure your contract matches that
which is being presented to the bank.
Never sign off on the work being done before it has been actually
completed.
If a contractor
or sales person requests you sign something as a formality “READ IT OVER!” A
“Satisfaction Acknowledgement” is exactly that. You only sign it when you are satisfied with the work once it has
been completed. Some contractors or
salespersons may try to get you to sign a Satisfaction Acknowledgment
prior to work being completed or even started.
This is done so that they can get their money from the bank before they
have even completed your work. This may
happen when you are financing directly through the contractor. Once they have their money for your job you
have no further recourse should they not complete the work or they do a poor
job. So make sure you know and
understand what you are signing and ask for a copy immediately.
Also be wary of
contractors that offer you financing through their company and offer to finance
more money than the job is worth. For example the cost of your work to be done
is $8000.00 and they offer to finance $10,000.00 and give you the rest of the
money do to with as you wish. This
could be considered fraud on not only the contractors end but yours as
well. The bank finances the contractor
to do work and not to give their customers a line of credit above and beyond
the work to be done. Be very careful
about this!
Ask for
references for similar work that they have done previously and call these
references. Ask the references if you if it is all right to come and see the
work the contractor completed for them so you know you are talking to actual
people who have work done by the contractor.
Remember you are trusting your home to these people make sure you are
going to be satisfied with the work.
Make sure all
building codes are adhered to. Make sure all permits have been properly applied
for and received prior to the commencement of the job.
Check with your
local building supply stores and find out who they would recommend for the job
you are having done.
I know this all
sounds like a lot of work but it was also a lot of work for you to earn the
money you are going to paying these people so you should be sure you are going
to satisfied.
Watch for
salespeople who put other contractors work down or tell you their price is more
expensive because they do a higher quality of work or their materials are of
better quality than are available to their competitor. Some contractors and their sales people will
say just about anything to get your money.
Don’t be pressured tell the sales people you plan to get other quotes
and never get forced into anything.
Watch for
“Special Seasonal Deals” these may be available all the time but are touted as
a “Limited Time” deal. And this may be no deal at all if they are offering you
discounts on items you don’t even want or need!
So remember
whether you are hiring someone to clean your home or to build you a brand new
home check out their qualifications and hire someone you feel comfortable with
after completing your homework. You
worked hard for your money and you deserve to get the best value for it.
For more
information call the Seniors Issues Office at (705) 848-3009. You can also
check out the following websites for more information:
The Canadian
Homebuilders Association at:
The Ministry of
Consumer & Business Services at:
http://www.cbs.gov.on.ca/mcbs/english/welcome.htm
John Gagnon
Seniors Issues
Officer
East Algoma OPP
Elliot Lake
Detachment