{"id":1645,"date":"2023-11-07T17:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T22:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/?p=1645"},"modified":"2024-01-11T16:39:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T21:39:27","slug":"home-repair-basics-introducing-caps-home-improvement-specialist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/home-repair-basics-introducing-caps-home-improvement-specialist\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Repair Basics: Introducing CAP\u2019s Home Improvement Specialist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Gabriel Taylor-Marsh<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Picture
Gabriel Taylor-Marsh, Home Improvement Specialist at the VT Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It can be difficult to get ahold of the right contractor for your next home improvement project. I am here to let you know that I want to help. I am Gabriel Taylor-Marsh, Home Improvement Specialist in the Vermont Attorney General\u2019s Consumer Assistance Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I share important information every day to help homeowners and contractors throughout the home improvement process, whether there is a question about steps to take before hiring a contractor, or when inquiries arise from a contractor about their in-state registration requirements. I am also here when problems arise and provide telephonic\/letter complaint mediation between homeowner and business parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, I want you to have a great home repair experience. If you are getting ready to have work done on your home, there are things you can do now to find and then hire a contractor. Follow the below checklist and visit our website to learn more: https:\/\/ago.vermont.gov\/cap\/home-improvements<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOme repair how-to checklist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.    Use Vermont contractor registries <\/strong>to make an informed decision. Contractors: 
       – Registered as a contractor with the Secretary of State<\/a><\/strong> agree to meet Vermont professional standards.
       – On the Home Improvement Fraud Registry<\/a> <\/strong>have been convicted of home improvement fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.    Ask for recommendations <\/strong>from your community \u2013 friends, neighbors, family, co-workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.    Once you identify a contractor you are considering for your project, do more research<\/strong>.
       – Lookup complaint history online, using the name of the contractor and \u201cscam\u201d or \u201ccomplaint\u201d in your search.
       – Contact the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP)<\/a><\/strong> and ask if they have complaints filed against the contractor you are considering, the timeframe and the nature of the complaints. 
       – Review Better Business Bureau<\/a><\/strong> complaint history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.    Ask the contractor to show you their active registration and insurance policy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.    Get quotes<\/strong> from 2-3 other reputable contractors. Quotes should include the expected payment timeline (ideally with a deposit of no more than 10-30%) and ask for references from prior jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Make sure all project expectations are in writing; request a\u00a0written contract\u00a0<\/strong>or estimate and do not sign anything you do not agree with.
– DO NOT pay all at once!<\/strong>\u00a0Request an invoice and offer to pay at completion, by installment, or with a reasonable down payment for labor and materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once hired, keep track of all invoices, bills and communication between you and your contractor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please reach out to me directly with any questions you may have: https:\/\/ago.vermont.gov\/home-improvement-specialist-bio<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Use the Home Repair How-To Checklist to find and hire a residential contractor and get started on your home improvement project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4483,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[704929,481474,642549,704932,505504,642548,704931,704930,704924],"class_list":["post-1645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-homerepairbasics","tag-consumer","tag-contractor","tag-estimates","tag-home-improvement","tag-home-repair","tag-quotes","tag-research","tag-vt-residential-contractor-registration","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4483"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1645"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1653,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645\/revisions\/1653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/cap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}