Business

Following Recent Storms, Illinois Attorney General Warns Residents of Repair Scams

There’s a certain kind of “storm chaser” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is warning residents to be aware of.

In light of recent storms in the state, residents should be on alert for scammers looking to exploit homeowners and business owners in need of repairs from storm-related damage, Raoul said in a Tuesday news release.

The warning comes after a recent severe thunderstorm in the Chicago area brought down hundreds of trees and left some without power.

“Just as severe weather during Illinois spring months is inevitable, so too are the scammers attempting to take advantage of the devastation left in the storms’ wake,” Raoul said in a statement.

Raoul cautioned residents that scammers often move quickly to put pressure on and take advantage of people with damage to their home or business.

The attorney general offered the following tips to avoid storm-related repair scams:

• Be wary of contractors who go door to door to offer repair services or “free” inspections. Ask for recommendations from people you know and trust and, whenever possible, use established local contractors.
• Visit the Better Business Bureau website to see if a business is a member and whether any complaints have been submitted against it.
• Contact Raoul’s Consumer Fraud Bureau to ask whether consumers have filed complaints against the contractor.
• Shop around. Get written estimates from multiple contractors, and don’t be rushed into a deal.
• Get all terms of a contract in writing, and obtain a copy of the signed contract.
• Never make the full payment until all work has been completed to your satisfaction.
• Never pay in cash.
• Be aware that you have the right to cancel a contract within three business days if you signed it based on the contractor’s visit to your home.
• In the case of disaster repair, if your insurance carrier denies coverage, you have the right to cancel the contract within five days of your insurance carrier’s denial and within 30 days of receiving the proof of loss from your insurance carrier.
• Be aware that public adjusters do not work for your insurance company and may charge additional fees.
• If you submit a claim to your insurance company, your insurance company will likely provide an adjuster to review your claim at no additional cost to you.
• If you contract with a public adjuster, pay particular attention to the amount of fees being charged and whether you are obligated to use a specific contractor for repairs.
• Ask to see the required state and local permits and licenses. It should raise a red flag if the roofer or adjuster does not have a required license, or if the name on the license doesn’t match the name on the business card or truck.

General contractors are not required by state law to be licensed, but municipalities might have other local requirements, according to Raoul. Public adjusters must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Insurance. Roofers must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Plumbers must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires contractors to provide customers with written contracts for any repair or remodeling work costing more than $1,000.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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