LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – If you plan on getting a home or backyard upgrade and are looking for a contractor, or if you’ve hired one and the project went wrong, the Nevada State Contractors Board says there are some key things you need to know.
Homeowners can recover up to $40,000 dollars. Thursday, the Nevada State Contractors Board awarded nearly $300,000 to Nevada homeowners who have been scammed by contractors who have done shoddy work or abandoned a project altogether.
FOX5 heard from some of the 15 homeowners who are now getting tens of thousands of dollars back, money they thought was gone for good.
Christopher Olson had three patio covers installed in his backyard. “They were guaranteed for 115 mile an hour winds and in October 22′ we had 75 mph winds in Red Rock Canyon and two of our three covers actually blew completely down… damaged the house, damaged my swimming pool, damaged my patio, and dam near could have killed somebody,” Olsen recounted.
Olson filed a claim about Made in the Shade, a company FOX5 has reported on before that’s now had more than a dozen complaints filed against them. “Ended up having his license revoked. He went bankrupt, and he is out of business,” Olsen explained about the contractor.
The Nevada State Contractors Board awarded Olson $27,000 at the Residential Recovery Fund hearing; a fund paid into by every licensed contractor in the state.
“I think you get in a rush as a homeowner. You want to get your work done as fast as possible. You go out and get bids and go with low bids sometime because we all are strapped for money, you don’t want to spend more than you have to… Unfortunately, a lot of us use Yelp, use Google reviews, and I think they sometimes get every relative they have to give them a review,” Olson contended.
The single largest amount awarded during the hearing: $37,000 to a homeowner harmed by GC Construction.
“When I came and filed my compliant, there was another 11 people on top of me already,” reported Francisco Rufino. Rufino wanted to add a room addition to his house and remodel a bathroom to move in his mother-in-law. Olson paid $37,000 up front hoping the job would be done quickly but it was never started.
“They asked me for a down payment and I thought it was a little too much, but it is my first time doing any additions to the house… thank God we have the Contractors Board,” Rufino stated.
Of the 15 homeowners awarded money at the hearing, three contractors made up most the cases:
· 2 cases- Adame Handyman Services
· 5 cases S&E Contracting—DBA Made In the Shade
· 3 cases – Next Gen Kitchen and Bath
There are two major things homeowners should know before starting a home improvement project.
Never pay for an entire project upfront. Under Nevada law, you only need to pay $1,000 or ten percent of the project. Also, make sure you are using a licensed contractor. If you hire someone without a license and something goes wrong, the Contractors Board cannot help you.
Here is a link to search a contractor’s license before you begin a project:
Nevada Contractors Board license search
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