Contractors and Repair Shops in Pennsylvania

Under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, home improvement contractors must register with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection before doing work. A home improvement contract is not enforceable against the owner unless it is written, signed, and includes the contractor's registration number, start and completion dates, a description of the work and materials, the total price (or a time-and-materials estimate that cannot be exceeded by more than 10% without a signed change order), any down payment, subcontractor information, insurance information and a notice of the three-business-day right to cancel. Contractors may not take payment before the contract is signed, and for contracts over $5,000 may not take a deposit of more than one-third of the price (plus the cost of special-order materials), with a limited exception for certain large retailers. The Attorney General notes registration is not an endorsement and offers a Home Improvement hotline at 1-888-520-6680.

Attorney General regulations make it an unfair or deceptive practice for a repair shop to charge for repairs, or a price, that the customer did not authorize in writing (or that was not clearly posted). If the exact repairs or cost are not known at drop-off, the customer must be offered a choice: no work until the customer approves the exact repairs and total price; work up to a price limit the customer sets; or work without a price limit after being told the hourly labor rate. Shops must write down the customer's request before starting, disclose whether parts are new, used or rebuilt and any estimate or storage charges, tell customers they may have replaced parts returned or inspect them on request, keep records of oral authorizations, fix poor-quality work promptly at no charge when the customer complains promptly, and give a dated, itemized invoice.