With the home improvement season heating up, the Westchester Consumer Protection Department (“ConPro”) is asking consumers to ONLY hire licensed contractors. (Note: it’s illegal for a home improvement contractor to operate in our county without a license).

There are close to 9000 licensed contractors in Westchester, who have all complied with a detailed background check before getting a license.

When interviewing potential contractors ask them to show you their license, and check to see if there is a green sticker from ConPro on back bumper of work vehicles.

Consumers can call ConPro to check if a contractor is properly licensed, call 914-995-2155.

Pursuant to state and county law, there must be a signed, written contract between the consumer and contractor (a sample contract, along with other helpful information, can be found on ConPro webpage). The contract must contain several items like the start and complete dates, labor and material costs, total price, and any payment schedule.

Consumers should interview at least 3 licensed contractors before making a final choice for a job.

Check out ConPro Webpage: https://consumer.westchestergov.com

Thanks, Jim Maisano, Westchester Consumer Protection Director