Sad to say, in this world we need to be on our guard most of the time. This is certainly the case when it comes to having work performed on our home. As home inspectors, we get to see all too often the handy work of dishonest tradesmen. What are some of the ways these scam artists could trick you into having needless work done on your home? Here are just a few of the ways:
One scam that probably sounds familiar to you, is someone showing up at our door, offering to redo our driveway. They will often tell you that they have some left over from another job, and will offer a cheap price. While it might appear to look good at first, the materials used for the job are typically very low quality, sometimes it’s just black paint, which will last no time.
The roof is also an area that swindlers will use to get you to spend needless money on. If they determine that extensive work needs doing simply by looking at the roof from the ground, this should sound alarm bells.
If a so-called HVAC expert wants to charge you a lot of money to replace “broken parts”, ask them to first show you where they are broken and, if they do need replacing, have them show you the new parts in their packaging before they install them.
If you hire a painter to do work on the home, make certain they will use the paint you agree to. It does happen that, to save money, deceitful tradespeople have been known to say they use a high-quality type of paint, but then pour low quality paint into empty high-quality paint cans.
It is important to note, that there are many skilled tradesmen out there who are honest. However, it is important to look out for signs of a scam. Ask as many questions as you can to determine what kind of work you will be getting. An honest worker will be glad to answer your questions.
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