Unlicensed contractors can leave customers in lurch
Jun 22, 2012, 6:41 AM
PHOENIX — Few people would feel safe going to a doctor without a license to practice medicine. The same principle should apply to the contractor hired to work on a home.
“There are so few jobs right now and more people chasing those same jobs,” said Tyler Palmer with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. “The risk comes when the unlicensed contractor is chasing that job and comes in with a lower price.”
Palmer said it’s the homeowner who is at risk of unlicensed workers. A legitimate licensed contractor is bonded and insured. If the unlicensed contractor does shoddy work, the homeowner may never them or their money again.
“If they mess up and take the money and run, the recourse isn’t there,” he said.
A recent sting led to 15 unlicensed contractor investigations in the Valley.
