The past few months we have been called in to correct some serious problems caused by contractors working in homes – these problems should never have occurred, but they did! Even worse, some contractors do not have insurance or carry inadequate coverage for their blunders leaving the homeowner with the mess and the invoice.
Here are two recent examples:
Lead Paint Debris Scattered Over Family Belongings
A contractor hired to remove a lead painted ceiling in the basement told the homeowner all the precautions they would take when performing the work. The homeowner woke up one night with a gut feeling that things were not right in the basement, so he investigated the work area.
He found lead debris scattered all over furnishings and belongings and none of the precautions were taken by the contractor.
We were called to clean up the contractor’s mess. The contractor’s insurance did not cover lead work, but he will be receiving an invoice from the homeowner.
Asbestos Debris Throughout a Basement
A contractor working to convert a two-story home from radiator heat to forced-air did the unthinkable. Pipes that were wrapped with asbestos for the old boiler system needed to be removed. The contractor told the homeowner, they had everything included in their proposal to do the job right.
A day after the demolition of the pipes, the homeowner discovered the contractor took electric saws and cut right through the asbestos and the pipes. Asbestos debris was everywhere. To make matters worse, they just left some pipes with the exposed cut asbestos in the ceiling thinking no one would notice.
This homeowner’s father happens to be a director of safety at one of the largest corporations in America and arrived to review the contractor’s blatant criminal actions. We were called in to correct the situation and return the contaminated areas to safety.
The contractor had no insurance for asbestos related work and the homeowner is stuck with the clean-up cost.
Don’t let these mishaps (and criminal actions) happen to your customers. Tell them to request insurance certificates prior to starting a project and review the coverage.
