Unfortunately, in this day and age, we cannot trust everyone we meet. When it comes to getting work done on our home, we must be especially on our guard. As home inspectors, we see firsthand the results of dishonest tradespeople. You do not have to fall victim to home repair scams though. Let’s look at a few of the ways someone may try to scam you into having unprofessional or unnecessary work done.

 

Those most vulnerable generally fall victim to a home repair scam. The elderly, or even those who have suffered from a major disaster such as a hurricane or flood, must be on guard. One area that a scam artist will use to get you to spend more money than necessary, is the roof. Avoid hiring a person who claims you need extensive roof work, when all they have done is look at it from the ground.

 

Another well-known trick, is someone showing up at your door offering to re-seal your driveway for a very low price. You will most likely be told that they have material left over from another job. Although the price and the work done may seem good at first, it won’t take long at all to realize it was a mistake. Usually the materials that have been used are very low quality, sometimes it’s just black paint.

 

If you need any HVAC or plumbing work done, watch out for people who want to charge you a fortune to replace “broken parts”. Ask them to first show you where the parts are broken, and make sure you get to look at the replacement parts while they are still in their packaging, before they are installed.

 

Dishonest painters also have their tricks. For example, you might be shown a can of high quality paint, but they have poured low quality paint into the can. When hiring a painter to do work for you, make sure you are getting the paint you have agreed upon.

 

As we can see, it is very important to be cautious when hiring a contractor to work for you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the job they are doing. It’s also good to remember, that there are honest tradesmen out there and they will not mind answering your questions.