Many Vermont homeowners face the daunting task of rebuilding after last month鈥檚 floods. Contractors are in extra-high demand 鈥� but finding someone reputable can be really difficult in a competitive market.
Coincidentally, this year Vermont 鈥� and the Secretary of State鈥檚 Office has created who have registered with the state and paid a fee. Vermonters can use the map to find someone local.
鈥淔or the last couple weeks, we have some pockets of Vermont where there are a lot of people who are really scrambling to find contractors to come in and help them remove flooded material and lay down new flooring and sheetrock,鈥� said Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, speaking on Vermont Edition on Tuesday.
Registered contractors are required to have minimum liability insurance and to pay a registration fee.
For now, the registry map only shows basic information such as the contractor鈥檚 location and name.
When Vermont鈥檚 contractor registry law is fully implemented, consumers will be able to see whether a contractor has faced disciplinary action by state authorities. There are also plans to show whether a contractor has special certifications or training.
Though some smaller contractors have chafed at the requirement 鈥� for example, a contractor who called into Vermont Edition said it would only impose more bureaucracy on upstanding contractors 鈥� Copeland Hanzas said it was a relatively low level of regulation compared to other states.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have enforceable building codes in Vermont, so there isn鈥檛 an enforceable standard to which a contractor would be held, as they might be in another state,鈥� Copeland Hanzas said. 鈥淪o we are really trying this on in the spirit of, 鈥楲et鈥檚 do the lightest touch of regulation that we need to to accomplish that consumer protection that we talked about.鈥欌��
The Secretary of State鈥檚 Office does not mediate disputes between homeowners and contractors. Copeland Hanzas advised that anyone trying to recoup money from a contractor should contact the Consumer Assistance Program at the Attorney General鈥檚 Office.
Copeland Hanzas also spoke with Vermont Edition host Mikaela Lefrak about a recent to Gov. Phil Scott that urges him to take decisive action on climate change.
She said the decision by Scott and other members of the money-focused Emergency Board this week to to help Vermonters make efficiency upgrades during flood recovery was 鈥渁 good first step.鈥�
More aggressive work is needed to meet the legally-required 2030 emissions targets, Copeland Hanzas said.
For more information on Vermont鈥檚 residential contractor registry:
Broadcast at noon Tuesday, August 1, 2023; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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