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The Arizona Registrar of Contractors has
received reports of unlicensed companies
running scams in Arizona neighborhoods.
These contractors often go door to door
offering unnecessary repairs to
unsuspecting homeowners specifically
targeting vulnerable seniors.
“These door-to-door solicitors are
usually very friendly, work to gain
trust easily, and claim they are in the
neighborhood working on other home
repair jobs,” says ROC Acting Director
Fidelis V. Garcia.
“When they enter the home for repair
work, the real damage takes place.”
Particularly common during the temperate
months, scams by unscrupulous people
traveling to Arizona are reported by
victims each year. Many of these
disreputable individuals systematically
go through neighborhoods and offer
various reduced-cost home repairs.
Unsuspecting homeowners often pay in
full for poor quality work, or no work
at all, while the scam artist is no
where to be found.
Senior citizens are more likely to be
targeted in these types of scams and
should be very careful when approached
over the telephone or door to door for
this or any other home improvement
services. Residents are urged not to
hire anyone soliciting home repair
services until checking with the ROC to
ensure that the individual is an
Arizona-licensed contractor.
Anyone who performs residential or
commercial construction, remodeling or
repair work, must have a contractors
license if the job costs more than
$1,000 in materials and labor, or if a
building permit is required. Consumers
always should check with the ROC to make
sure the person they hire is properly
licensed.
The ROC offers the following advice to
ensure homeowners do not fall victim to
a construction or home-repair scam:
Hire only licensed contractors. Check a
license with the ROC before hiring a
contractor for a project or home repair
by calling 602-542-1525 or statewide
outside Maricopa County at
1-888-271-9286, or visit
www.azroc.gov and click on Check a
Licensed Contractor.
Get a written contract, and do not sign
it until you completely understand the
terms.
Do not pay cash.
Do not pay more than 10 percent or
$1,000, whichever is less, as a down
payment.
Remember that most legitimate
contractors do not:
Go door to door soliciting new business.
Require the customer to pay cash.
Require that the customers accept
left-over material from another job.
Tell customers that they have to pay in
full or pay up front.
To report possible fraudulent home
improvement activities or if you have
been approached at your home by a
contractor soliciting business, contact
the ROC at 602-542-1525, statewide
outside Maricopa County at
1-888-271-9286, or visit
www.azroc.gov. Check the company’s
license status and report the company to
the ROC if you suspect a scam.
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