Vermont Secretary of State Promotes Residential Contractor Registry as Consumer Tool in Wake of Floods

July 17 2024

Montpelier, VT – Following a repeat of devastating flooding on the anniversary of last year’s floods, Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas reminded Vermonters to be aware of potential residential contractor fraud. She encouraged those seeking to hire residential contractors to do their due diligence by utilizing the homeowner and consumer protection resources provided by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) and other state offices.

“Among the challenges brought on by the flooding in our cities and towns, many homeowners have an urgent need for repair to damaged homes. This vulnerability can be an unfortunate target for fraud and scams,” explained Copeland Hanzas. “My office maintains a list of registered residential contractors who are currently in good standing, and I strongly encourage Vermonters to check our interactive map and homeowner resources when looking to hire a contractor.”

Vermont passed a law in 2022 (Act 182) that requires residential contractors who perform residential construction where the estimated value is more than $10,000 (inclusive of labor and materials) to register with OPR. Consumers can do additional research about specific contractors on OPR’s “Find a Professional” page and OPR’s full homeowner resource page can be found here.

“It’s always a good idea for consumers to do their homework when hiring a contractor,” said Copeland Hanzas. “Good practices include checking a contractor’s registration with us, getting references, ensuring the business is insured, and putting any agreement in writing before work starts.”

Residential contractors who are registered with OPR are required to have a contract in place before starting work and demonstrate they have insurance at the time of application.

Secretary Copeland Hanzas also highlighted the Attorney General’s Home Improvement Fraud Registry as another tool to research contractors and the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP), where consumers can file a complaint or report a scam.

To find out more about the residential contractor registry, click here.