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Avoid Home Repair Fraud

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1. Get several bids

• Try to get written bids or estimates from at least three different contractors.Check out the conractor.
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2. Get the contractor's full name, address, and phone number.

• Ask for references and call them.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau and courthouse for criminal history and civil cases against the contractor.
• For repairs that cost more than $10,000, ask the contractor for a copy of their Certificate of Registration with the Texas Residential Construction Commission.
• Be careful when dealing with contractors with out-of-state license plates.
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3. Get a written contract

• Specify the work to be done
• Specify the price
• Don’t sign anything you don’t understand
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4. Control the money

• Do not pay upfront for the entire job.
• Try to pay as little as possible upfront.
• It is against the law that contractors in disaster areas take any money upfront unless they have a local office in your county or one county over for at least one year.
• Insist on waiting to pay the total amount until after the work is finished.
• Please don't make the final payment until you have looked over the work.
• Make sure you are satisfied with the repairs
• Do not pay in cash

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Download the Contractor Fraud Checklist above.

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Report bad contractors to the Better Business Bureau, the Texas Attorney General, the local district attorney, and if you need legal help, you can apply with Lone Star Legal Aid.

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