Contractors
How can we find a good one ?
What legislation exists to protect us ?
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6-11-09 Ordinance 1981 & 1982 (see below) hearings will
be held July 9th 2009
6-1-09 Code Enforcement Meeting - HOME
IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTORS now have to register with the State and
therefore they no longer have to register separately with the
Township ( ie no separate fee to pay ) but ordinance 1981 would
require them to
fill out a form ( or perhaps a place on the Permit form )
ascertaining that they do have a valid licensce & registration
with the State. New Home Construction and Commercial
Construction does not apply - only Home Improvement work
is at issue here.
Ordinance 1982 passed 6-1-09 by Code Enforcement
Committee to recommend on the Board of Commissioners that
permits applied for after work has commenced are at $150% of the
fee that would have been charged
6-09
The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act has passed
and is effective July 1, 2009
Written contracts required for improvements over $500 and
registration of contractors are some of the features of the new
law . see more at
http://abingtonpa.gov/info/downloads/Contr%20Home%20Impr%20Regis.pdf
1-08
Currently there
are two bills dealing with the licensing and regulation of
Residential Contractors, H.B. 507 and H.B. 1821.
H.B. 507 is Rep.
McCall’s bill that would provide for greater licensing and
accountability for home improvement contractors. It would also
create a fund for to help fraud victims recover any real loss of
assets resulting from the fraudulent transaction. H.B. 507 was
reported out of the Consumer Affairs Committee and is currently
awaiting consideration before the Appropriations Committee.
H.B. 1821 is
Rep. Shimkus’s legislation providing for the regulation of new
home builders and the establishment of the Home Builder Guaranty
Fund. This bill would require certain home builders to register
with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. H.B. 1821 ids
currently in the House Consumer Affairs Committee and is
scheduled for Public Hearings in March.
Posted 6-10-07
The Penna Senate just approved
legislation to establish a statewide database of contractors who
have registered with the attorney general's office so some
information would be accessible to consumers with an 800 number
. It also would require contracts for all work that
exceeds $500, and set specific contract rules to ensure that the
scope and cost of the work is clear between the customer &
contractor & makes a criminal offense of home-improvement fraud,
with penalties that are tougher if the victim is 60 or older.
It also addresses components of contracts and clauses that
attempt to release the contractor from building colde
requirements or liability causing a customer to lose
rights.
The bill still requires approval from the House of
Representatives and the Governor before it can become law.
Posted: 3-1-06
We need to build a local
network of contractor recommendations so that good ( and bad )
information can be shared and people can know which contractors
to avoid & where to find a good one. Ideas invited. (lel@abingtoncitizens.com )
3--20-06 Abington
Citizens has learned that there are currently 3 bills in the
works - one bill House Bill 1426 , is being
supported by Representative Josh Shapiro. We will
get back to this issue and give you some of the highlights
- among which is a requirement for Contractors to be registered
and to write a contract with some specific terms. Some
definite advances for the homeowner. ........ more to come
3-22 - 06 A site that was sent
for our awareness is
http://www.homenetsolutions.com which is owned by a
former area resident and seeks to recommend good contractors to
you . There is also a list called Angie's List that we can
not as yet give specifics on, but if other residents would like to check it out
http://www.angieslist.com/AngiesList/Cities.asp?id=Philadelphia
we believe that you can report either bad or good to this
site. Their Phone: (610) 491-5478 Toll Free Phone:
(877) 775-3557 and their email is
PHILADELPHIA@ANGIESLIST.COM
3-25-06 Some citizens would like to work
on getting guidelines together - and others would like to
work on having a list available at the Township of contractors
that did not meet code or left homeowners with problems .
Residents need one central place for information to be found.
If you would like to join this effort
contact
lel@abingtoncitizens.com
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