HARRISBURG, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced eight legal actions on Thursday against home improvement contractors that allegedly failed to comply with the state's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA).
The legal actions included five assurances of voluntary compliance and three final court orders in which the contractors agreed or were ordered to pay more than $130,400 in consumer restitution and civil penalties. The home improvement contractors named in the actions were located in Westmoreland, Warren, Susquehanna, Monroe, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Dauphin and Allegheny counties.
Kane's Bureau of Consumer Protection filed the actions to address issues of HICPA non-registration, failure to maintain current registration, failure to use HICPA-compliance contracts, failure to complete contract services, failure to perform contract services in a workmanlike manner, failure to restrict deposits to one-third of the total sales price and failure to provide consumers with the three-day cancellation notice.
The HICPA requires that home improvement contractors operating in the state register with Kane's office, use contracts that contain important information about home projects and maintain minimum insurance coverage. The law also requires contractors to disclose license suspensions and fraud convictions.
Failure to comply with the HICPA can lead to civil and criminal penalties, in addition to consumer restitution.
Kane's office reached assurances of voluntary compliance with Frank Yeager, individually and doing business as Brighter Finish Construction; Lisa Flores, individually and doing business as American Roofing Siding Window & Door Company LLC; Daniel Osko, individually and doing business as Jeff Grunza Construction; and Michael Olson, individually and doing business as Olson Contracting. Final court orders were issued against Alan V. Landy Construction; Lawrence Perry, individually and doing business as Straight Line Roofing; and John Croughin, individually and doing business as J&J Paving.
Pa. AG says contractors violated Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act
