Home Improvement Contractors

Some of the most powerful consumer protection laws enacted to protect Indiana home owners include the Indiana Home Improvement Act, the Indiana Home Solicitation Act and the Indiana Deceptive Practices Act. Because contractors are in the best position to know the laws that regulate their business, the law requires them to strictly comply with these laws. Even an innocent violation has the potential to be very costly to a contractor who fails to follow the law. Determine your purpose of home improvement. You must have certain objectives and they must be clear to you. Know how much is your budget as well as your expectations on the project. Consider the needs of your family and know the type of neighborhood that you have when coming up with a home improvement plan. See to it that your family will also benefit from the changes that will happen in your home. You also have to make sure that any improvement that you're planning outside of your home is appropriate in the area where you're living.
Under Indiana's Home Improvement Act, a contractor must use a written contract, must include the name and address of the company and the homeowner, the name and telephone number of the company representative, the date the contract is signed, the estimated start and completion dates, a list of contingencies that might alter those dates, detailed specifications and/or drawings of the work to be performed, the amount to be charged and the terms of payment. The Home Improvement act also requires the contractor to be licensed to perform the work, if a license is otherwise required. Likewise, they are required to pull permits, if permits are otherwise required. Any failure to comply with these obligations may be deemed a deceptive practice, which may result in serious sanctions under Indiana's Deceptive Practices Act.
Indiana has also enacted a Home Solicitation statute which requires merchants to give consumers a written notice of their right to cancel certain sales transactions within 3 days of the sale. The statute provides that the notice must explain to the consumer what they must do in order to cancel the sale. Generally, this statute applies to any sale for consumer related products or services that exceed $25.00 in value and which are initiated by the merchant. A violation of this act is also deemed a deceptive practice and the sanctions for such violations are administered in accordance with Indiana's Deceptive Practices Act.