rson or business who builds speculative housing or contracts with a consumer to construct or sell a new home or builds any portion of a new home prior to occupancy.

To check if your new home builder or renovation contractor is licensed, you can go to DCP’s web site at www.ct.gov/dcp and click on the Home Improvement tab. A major benefit of

Are you in this midst of a construction project or just thinking about one? Is your contractor licensed? Does the construction contract contain all of the information required by Connecticut state law? With all of the construction going on in Fairfield County, it is important for you to review these issues to make sure that you, the homeowner, are protected in the event your project turns sour.

In Connecticut, both new home builders and home improvement contractors must be licensed. There are separate and distinct licenses for each and both are licensed by the Department of Consumer Protection (“DCP”). Holding either license, however, does not mean that the builder/contractor has done anything more than fill out the proper paperwork and pay the required fees. The license is not an endorsement by the DCP that the builder or contractor does good work or maintains appropriate insurance. According to the DCP, the definition of a “Home Improvement” is “any permanent change to residential property, including but not limited to driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, roofs, siding, insulation, solar energy systems, flooring, patios, landscaping, painting, radon mitigation, residential underground oil tank removals, fences, doors, windows and waterproofing, unless the work contracted for is worth less than $200.00.” A “New Home Construction Contractor” is any person or business who builds speculative housing or contracts with a consumer to construct or sell a new home or builds any portion of a new home prior to occupancy.

To check if your new home builder or renovation contractor is licensed, you can go to DCP’s web site at www.ct.gov/dcp and click on the Home Improvement tab. A major benefit of

are protected in the event your project turns sour.

In Connecticut, both new home builders and home improvement contractors must be licensed. There are separate and distinct licenses for each and both are licensed by the Department of Consumer Protection (“DCP”). Holding either license, however, does not mean that the builder/contractor has done anything more than fill out the proper paperwork and pay the required fees. The license is not an endorsement by the DCP that the builder or contractor does good work or maintains appropriate insurance. According to the DCP, the definition of a “Home Improvement” is “any permanent change to residential property, including but not limited to driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, roofs, siding, insulation, solar energy systems, flooring, patios, landscaping, painting, radon mitigation, residential underground oil tank removals, fences, doors, windows and waterproofing, unless the work contracted for is worth less than $200.00.” A “New Home Construction Contractor” is any person or business who builds speculative housing or contracts with a consumer to construct or sell a new home or builds any portion of a new home prior to occupancy.

To check if your new home builder or renovation contractor is licensed, you can go to DCP’s web site at www.ct.gov/dcp and click on the Home Improvement tab. A major benefit of

as done anything more than fill out the proper paperwork and pay the required fees. The license is not an endorsement by the DCP that the builder or contractor does good work or maintains appropriate insurance. According to the DCP, the definition of a “Home Improvement” is “any permanent change to residential property, including but not limited to driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, roofs, siding, insulation, solar energy systems, flooring, patios, landscaping, painting, radon mitigation, residential underground oil tank removals, fences, doors, windows and waterproofing, unless the work contracted for is worth less than $200.00.” A “New Home Construction Contractor” is any person or business who builds speculative housing or contracts with a consumer to construct or sell a new home or builds any portion of a new home prior to occupancy.

To check if your new home builder or renovation contractor is licensed, you can go to DCP’s web site at www.ct.gov/dcp and click on the Home Improvement tab. A major benefit of

to driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, roofs, siding, insulation, solar energy systems, flooring, patios, landscaping, painting, radon mitigation, residential underground oil tank removals, fences, doors, windows and waterproofing, unless the work contracted for is worth less than $200.00.” A “New Home Construction Contractor” is any person or business who builds speculative housing or contracts with a consumer to construct or sell a new home or builds any portion of a new home prior to occupancy.

To check if your new home builder or renovation contractor is licensed, you can go to DCP’s web site at www.ct.gov/dcp and click on the Home Improvement tab. A major benefit of

rson or business who builds speculative housing or contracts with a consumer to construct or sell a new home or builds any portion of a new home prior to occupancy.

To check if your new home builder or renovation contractor is licensed, you can go to DCP’s web site at www.ct.gov/dcp and click on the Home Improvement tab. A major benefit of using a registered new home builder or renovation contractor is that DCP administers the “New Home Construction Guaranty Fund” and the “Home Improvement Guaranty Fund.” These funds are available to reimburse consumers who are unable to collect for loss or damage suffered from a registered contractor’s failure to perform under a contract. The maximum recovery from the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund is $15,000.00 and $30,000.00 from the New Home Construction Guaranty Fund. There are specific requirements for collecting from each of the funds and you should contact DCP or an attorney knowledgeable in construction law to make sure that you fully comply with all of the requirements.

Once you determine that your home improvement contractor is licensed, you must make sure that the contract contains all of the required information. Connecticut law requires the following of a home improvement contract: (1) It must be in writing, including all changes and modifications; (2) It must include four dates: the date the contract is signed, the date the work will begin, the date by which the work will be completed, and the date by which the homeowner may cancel the transaction; (3) It must include a Notice of the Customer’s Right to Cancel within three business days after signing the contract. The Notice must be attached to and made part of the contract, and must be in duplicate;