Home-Improvement Contracts Belong in Writing

A home-improvement job should not rest on a handshake and a vague invoice. State law requires a contractor to provide a written contract for home-improvement work. The contract should include a timeline, payment schedule, and specific project details, including materials where that matters. Put verbal changes into the written contract, because the contractor is bound by what is in the contract.

Before work starts, check permits with the local building department and check licensing where local law requires it. The Attorney General identifies New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland as places where home-improvement contractors must be licensed.

Keep the signed contract, written changes, payment record, contractor-license check, and local permit information together. Compare each payment and change with the written timeline, schedule, and project details.