It’s time for Washington to act and pass legislation that would force states to better regulate the home improvement industry. Until now, Washington has left the regulation of the home improvement industry to state regulators, and for whatever reason, many states have fallen short we will fix it.
There are still some states that don’t even have a home improvement contractor license. For some states that do have licenses, the licensing requirements do not include the applicant demonstrating the ability to perform any type of home improvement work. (That’s like saying I’ll give you a license to cut hair, but you don’t have to prove you know how to cut hair… ouch!) So why should states get involved in licensing if that’s not the case? demonstrate competence? Income? Or could it be that they need more consumer complaints about Consumer Affairs and the BBB? The unfortunate consequences of this problem are that homeowners are the ones paying the price through poor workmanship and a cascade of home improvement problems.
Let’s face it, the home improvement industry doesn’t seem to attract the most reliable, honest competent people. The lure of quick cash and the relative convenience of “qualifying” for home improvement work brings a lot of “characters” to your door. When I was a contractor, I had to hire people for various field positions. Most of the people I interviewed and sometimes hired seemed to have the same issues with previous employers. These issues included substance abuse issues, fairness issues, and reliability issues. The workforce never seemed to have an abundance of talent and employability to choose from.
I remember reading article after article about the significant labor shortage in the home improvement industry. The bottom line for any article would always be the same: “If you can find an honest, trustworthy and competent person to work for you, do your best to keep them!” happy because you never know if you’ll be lucky enough to find someone to take their place.” As an owner, it was a very constant and stressful problem to deal with. I was almost afraid to try and ramp up the project because I knew I would have to try and find someone to do the extra work Finding employees was always an adventure, an adventure I never expected.
In the last 10 to 15 years, the biggest problem in the home improvement industry has been a lack of labor. Many contractors train and hire minorities to solve this important problem.
If you were to talk to your state authorities about what is being done to improve regulation and detection in the home improvement industry, they will likely tell you that something is being worked on or that there is no money for more regulation (evidence). I’ve been listening to this for 30 years. The county I live in (Suffolk County, New York) does not yet require a home improvement ability demonstration to obtain a home improvement license. Compensation has steadily increased, but requirements have largely remained the same. We are one of the highest tax regions in the country, so I refuse to believe that there is no money to develop and implement a better monitoring and control process in the home improvement industry.
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) http://www.nari.org is the only national organization to offer home improvement certification. They have several different certifications that one could obtain. To obtain these certifications, the applicant must demonstrate a variety of knowledge ranging from good business practice to project knowledge. The main certification of NARI is called – Certified Remodeler (CR). This certification requires the applicant to develop a comprehensive matrix or summary of their experience and knowledge, as well as a specified score in an 8-hour exam. There are only about 1,000 CRs, from hundreds of thousands of home improvement contractors in this country. I obtained this certification in 1994 and am still proud of it. I admit that getting this certification is a slow process and requires a lot of effort, but it was worth it. What I also love about this certification is that it has to be renewed every year, demonstrating continued commitment and knowledge in the home improvement industry.
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