Homeowner Resources

It is important that homeowners do their own research when looking to hire anyone to work on their home. OPR’s mandate by the legislature is to address cases specifically related to fraud and deception for residential contractors who are registered. See: 26 V.S.A. §5510.

OPR is not authorized to review contracts, investigate, inspect, or prosecute cases regarding the quality of work or construction quality, seek money damages or restitution, mediate disputes, or pursue misconduct enforcement actions against people who are not required to register as residential contractors.

Because of this, there are many considerations for homeowners when entering into a contract with a residential contractor. The below resources may help with this decision.

The Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP)

The Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program provides assistance for consumers and small businesses and may be able to assist with issues beyond OPR’s jurisdiction and provide you with information on previous complaints.

Services they provide include the home improvement fraud registry and CAP Connection blog. For more information or to contact CAP, please visit their website at: https://ago.vermont.gov/cap

Office of Professional Regulation

Ensure the residential contractor is registered with OPR, if required to do so. Residential contractors who perform construction where the estimated value is $10,000 or more, inclusive of labor and materials are required to register with OPR. Home contractors registered with OPR are required to maintain liability insurance and execute a written contract prior to performing the work. Visit OPR’s Find a Professional webpage to see if a residential contractor is registered or explore our contractor locator map.

Better Business Bureau

The BBB allows you to find additional information and review customer reviews at https://www.bbb.org/search.

Law Enforcement

If you believe you have been defrauded by a contractor, you may also file a police report of home improvement fraud with your local police department or other law enforcement agency. Home improvement fraud is a crime, and it can be prosecuted in Vermont.

Small Claims Court

Information on Vermont Small Claims Court can be found

here: https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/civil/suing-and-being-sued and, for Vermont Superior Court, here: https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/self-help.

References and Community

Ask for references, check Google, social media, and local forums. Talk to your friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers about their home improvement experiences. These individuals are more than just connections, they are resources that can provide contractor references and warnings.

Contractor Locator

This map shows where home contractors are located based on their registration address. This map was last updated on 12/4/2024. If you would like real time information about a specific contractor please visit OPR's Find a Professional webpage.

Contractors whose OPR registrations have been revoked, surrendered, suspended, or conditioned will be reflected in the map results. However, disciplinary actions of warnings and reprimands will not be reflected on the map. To look up discipline against a specific contractor’s registration, please

visit: https://sos.vermont.gov/opr/complaints-conduct-discipline/

Please note that discipline status is updated only after a complaint is investigated, prosecuted, and adjudicated. Any pending complaints or charges will not appear on the map.

For more answers to commonly asked questions, please visit our General FAQ page.

For more information, please contact us.