Prime Seattle Homeowner Guides In Resident-Contractor Relations

Reasons Homeowners Are Defrauded

Foremost, HGRBS emphasis is primarily on matters of private home maintenance and improvement. Therefore, when considering matters of residents being "defrauded" (or any variation of the word), this implies situations in which private home heads are victimized by
detrimental contractors.

Although several reasons can be pin-pointed relative to private home heads being prey to unscrupulous persons in the buildings trades [bad contractors, specifically] there are three mentioned in this area:

• Lack of sufficient preventative information.
• Absence of a reliable system/protocol powered by related information.
• Absence of comparable action/enforcement using compatible system or protocol.

Lack of Sufficient Preventative Information

Here, when the phrase "sufficient preventative information" is used, it pertains to the resident having substantial enough information about avoiding being a victim. It is apparent that victims of contractor related fraud did not have enough information on hand which we could have referred to in order to prevent it.

Absence of a Reliable System

Here, the phrase "reliable system" refers to residents having enough information so as to develop preventative protocol for:

• Making safer and wiser contractor selection and hiring decisions.

• Resorting to comparable action for the sake of enforcing or implementing those decisions.

Emphasis: Evidently, when residents lack reliable information, it becomes difficult for us to conscientiously enforce an effective complementary system for self- protection. After all, a working system is fueled by the presence of a working knowledge, and enforcement of that knowledge.

Absence of Comparable Action/Enforcement

It follows that even in cases where residents have semblances of a protective system of pre-established parameters for contractors proving they are adequately licensed/registered, bonded, and insured (In the State of Washington these are mandatory legal premises), there is no complimentary action. We avoid taking initiative for setting aside as much time as possible to first learn if whether or not contractors are cleared for working in our state, much more, in Seattle.

Regretfully, this nature of self-induced apathy is equivalent to having a full can of gas in the trunk but not using it – especially as the indicator warns the tank is near empty. Figuratively, because of some residents' inaction towards making the safest and wisest decisions hiring, we inevitably end up on the side of the road, anyway (if not worse). Involuntarily delayed. The significance is the difference between the nature of our hesitation: Voluntary vs. Involuntary.

Residents can voluntarily hesitate in order to first learn significantly more about building trades personnel, or do so involuntarily upon learning the person we neglected to validate - hopped the fence i.e. abandoned the project after receiving the down payment.

Back to the fuel indicator. If the driver is proactive about momentarily coming to a safe stop along side the road because fuel is low, this person can refuel and make it to the nearest service station. However, this is not always the case for the driver who is suddenly out of gas because of negligence. The latter case opens the door to undesirable risk factors. But, of course we know, there is absolutely no cruising in the middle of a superhighway – on empty.

Ironically, this is parallel to the scenario of many residents’ hiring decisions. We quickly decide on hiring contractor assist on little to no information about them. Although the indicator to this effect warns of not yet having enough information – we ignore it. In such cases there are awful ramifications.

*Each household head is in the driver’s seat. Is there enough information about those considered for hire which will ensure safely meeting the objective? Of is it a bit sparse? Among a few things, the best road trips begin with a full tank of gas.

Interested parties can visit HGRBS “Resident Strategic Studies” to download the free guides -
https://www.hgrbs-flagship.com/resident-strategic-studies.php

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Footnote

For Contractor Lookup? Labor and Industries: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/

For Larger Variety: Homeowners Guides U.S.A. - https://www.americanprivatehom...

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This Reprint-Edited with special assistance from E. McLaughlin[2018] and recently revised via Team HGRBS [2020]

*HGRBS is national volunteer nonprofit, an exclusive consumer information service with emphasis on supporting self-empowerment among U.S. private home decision makers. Special focus is on sharing related information enabling residents to make safest-wisest decisions in resident-contractor relations. It was founded in 2009.

Public Courtesy - HGRBS ®