Arizona Registrar of Contractors
Neighborhood Ambassador Program
Israel G. Torres, Director
July 2004
ROC Consumer alert: Roofing scams up as monsoon season arrives
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) has received reports of unlicensed roofing ''companies'' running scams in Arizona neighborhoods. These so-called roofers often go door to door offering unnecessary repairs to unsuspecting homeowners. ?“They are usually very friendly, gain trust easily, and claim that they were in the neighborhood and noticed some shingles lifting or damaged roof tiles,?” says ROC Director Israel G. Torres. ?“When they go up on an unwary homeowner?’s roof, that is when the real damage takes place.?”
Particularly common during the monsoon season, roofing scams by unscrupulous people are reported in Arizona each year. Many of these disreputable individuals systematically go through neighborhoods and offer various reduced-cost roof repairs, ?“just in time?” before the seasonal rains begin. 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 roof 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 $750 or more 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 that 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 of Maricopa County at 1-888-271-9286, or visit www.rc.state.az.us 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 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 roofing company, contact the ROC at 602-542-1525, statewide outside Maricopa County at 1-888-271-9286, or visit www.rc.state.az.us. Check the company's license status and report the company to the ROC if you suspect a scam.
Neighborhood Ambassador Program
Israel G. Torres, Director
July 2004
ROC Consumer alert: Roofing scams up as monsoon season arrives
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) has received reports of unlicensed roofing ''companies'' running scams in Arizona neighborhoods. These so-called roofers often go door to door offering unnecessary repairs to unsuspecting homeowners. ?“They are usually very friendly, gain trust easily, and claim that they were in the neighborhood and noticed some shingles lifting or damaged roof tiles,?” says ROC Director Israel G. Torres. ?“When they go up on an unwary homeowner?’s roof, that is when the real damage takes place.?”
Particularly common during the monsoon season, roofing scams by unscrupulous people are reported in Arizona each year. Many of these disreputable individuals systematically go through neighborhoods and offer various reduced-cost roof repairs, ?“just in time?” before the seasonal rains begin. 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 roof 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 $750 or more 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 that 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 of Maricopa County at 1-888-271-9286, or visit www.rc.state.az.us 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 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 roofing company, contact the ROC at 602-542-1525, statewide outside Maricopa County at 1-888-271-9286, or visit www.rc.state.az.us. Check the company's license status and report the company to the ROC if you suspect a scam.
