A general contractor is responsible for the overall
coordination of a project. Often, they may also act as a foreman or building
designer, but they are always hired by a client to complete the work in their
specialty. In any industry, hiring a professional contractor for repair, installation
and construction jobs is recommended, and the same rings true for garage door
repair contractors.
Why You Should Hire a Licensed Garage Door Repair Contractor
Using a licensed garage door
repairman could help you steer clear of any problems, such as the financial
risk that is associated with unlicensed individuals. Beyond that, unlicensed individuals
working on your property could end up costing you if they are injured while at
work. You may also end up footing a bill if they damage your property or leave
the work unfinished. In the state of California, any garage door repair professional who is
contracted to work on a project with a value of $500 or higher has to hold a
valid, current license from the Contractors
State License Board.
A licensed garage door repairman will also ensure that the
job is completed systematically. They know how the process is done and can
complete your job according to the most efficient method possible. You can also
have peace of mind in knowing that all the governmental and city requirements
are met, something you can’t be certain of when working with an unlicensed
individual. In a similar vein, using a licensed
contractor offers you insurance against any damage. This is especially
important for homeowners who are on a budget and can’t afford to pay out of
pocket if something goes wrong.
Consequences of Hiring an Unlicensed Garage Door Repair Contractor
If you hire
an unlicensed contractor, there are some clear risks that you will be
taking in doing so. As mentioned, hiring a garage door supplier who is not licensed
can leave you at fault if they are injured on the job. A homeowner is responsible
for ensuring everything complies with California OSHA safety regulations, which
can be a headache if you aren’t familiar with the guidelines. The contractor
can file a lawsuit against you in the event of injury.
Beyond these points, hiring an unlicensed garage
door installer also means you’re working with someone who can’t get a
permit and won’t have their work inspected. They may also not be knowledgeable
about the local laws
regarding building codes and safety regulations, which can get you into
some hot water. If they damage your property or leave work unfinished, they are
not liable for it.
In the future, using an unlicensed contractor may also
diminish the value of your home if you choose to sell it, and it could
compromise the insurance policy on your home. Above all, hiring an unlicensed contractor
is against the law in California if the project is valued at $500 or more. This
could get both you and the contractor into legal trouble if they go through
with the work.
Consequences of Contracting Without a License as A Service Provider
Anyone who operates as a garage door contractor without
a state-issued license not only hurts the homeowner but also themselves and
the industry as well. The CSLB Statewide Investigative Fraud Team often goes
undercover to find contracting laws and regulations that are being broken. If
you are caught as a contractor without a license, you may have to answer to
misdemeanor charges that have a potential sentence of as much as six months in
jail. Paying fines upward of $5,000 is also common.
Recently, six
contractors were charged in Sarasota, Florida, for operating without a
license, with some of them facing felony charges. They were discovered by an
undercover sting operation conducted by the Statewide Investigative Fraud team,
much like the four people in Butte County, California, who were also arrested
for contracting without a license as recently as January of 2022.
If the contractor uses someone else’s credentials to work,
that could bring on felony charges. Keep in mind that consumers are not legally
obligated to pay someone who has not been licensed by the state, and the
unlicensed contractor cannot sue consumers for not paying them. In the end, it
simply does not pay to do this kind of work uncontracted, if not for legal and
financial reasons then for safety’s sake.
Contracting Without a License in California – Laws and
Regulations
Though it is not always illegal for a handyman to work
without license in California, most handymen do. This is because jobs that
value higher than $500 are legally required to have a licensed professional doing
the work. Because most contracting jobs, such as those using garage door
companies, cost over $500. This leaves very few opportunities to work without
having a D-28
license.
California has specific laws in place regarding contracting
without a license. The Business and Professions Code
7028 officially makes it against the law for contracting without a contractor
license. Just one conviction is enough to cost up to $5,000 in fines and six months
in jail. If the offense is repeated, the consequences are more severe. Furthermore,
felony charges can be filed against a person who uses a license belonging to
someone else in order to mislead a consumer into thinking they are a licensed
professional contractor.
Beyond that, the law states that unlicensed contractors are not owed
payment for the work they complete, in their attempt to make it difficult
for workers such as unfinanced garage door installers to get paid for their
illegal work.
How to Report an Unlicensed Garage Door Repair Contractor
That Worked on Your Property?
Unlicensed contracting makes up a massive part of
California’s underground economy. It is estimated that as much as $60 to $140
billion is generated through such work. Because these individuals don’t have to
have insurance, bonds or even pay taxes on it, it is common for them to be
involved in other kinds of illegal activities as well.
If you are contacted by an unlicensed contractor and want to
report
them, you can file a formal complaint. To file
a complaint against an unlicensed garage door repairman, you can contact
SWIFT. SWIFT is the CSLB’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team that looks into
these illegal activities, often undercover. You can complete the Swift
Lead Referral Form and attach it to an email to send to the organization.
The CSLB will process complaints against unlicensed garage
door installers by either putting out an administrative citation or filing a
criminal action against them. It can also start injunction proceedings against
the contractor who isn’t licensed. A citation will simply tell them to stop
their activities. If they do not, the criminal action will mean the contractor
has to appear in the local court where they may be issued a fine, jail
sentence, restitution or all of the above.
How to Check and Verify a Garage Door Contractor License
If you aren’t sure about the licensing status of a garage
door repair contractor you would like to hire, you can check the validity of
their license on the California Contractors State License Board’s website at https://www.cslb.ca.gov/. On this site, you can search for a
contractor using a variety of identifiers to find them. You can use the Online
Services tab to conveniently file a complaint right there if you choose to do
so.
Some of the information that you can look up includes a
contractor’s:
- License number.
- Business name.
- HIS, or Home Improvement Salesperson number.
- HIS name.
Any of these search parameters will supply the licensing
status of the contractor, so you can be sure they are professionally licensed
before agreeing to work with them. In the event that you find them to be a fraudulent
repairman, you can take steps against them. As mentioned, you can go onto the
CSLB’s website and report them to the Statewide Investigative Fraud Team.
This report can help get the unlicensed worker out of the pool and prevent a
lot of legal and financial headaches for consumers like you.
By not hiring
a licensed garage door contractor, you run the risk of running into trouble
in various avenues. Whether that means losing money or, in some areas, breaking
the law, it is something that can be avoided just by hiring licensed help.
In California and Orange County, it is illegal to operate as
an unlicensed contractor or use someone else’s credentials to trick a consumer
into thinking they’re licensed. If you’re a consumer who encounters a
fraudulent contractor, you can report them.
In this article, we explored a few reasons why you should
hire an experienced garage door repair contractor. We also touched on some of
the consequences of not doing so, how to verify that a contractor is legitimate
before settling on one and how to report them if they turn out to not be
licensed.
