Housing Ministry may blacklist crooked contractors

Feb 14, 2011 News

In the wake of growing complaints of contractors fleecing home builders, authorities on Wednesday announced that the Housing Ministry is preparing to introduce measures to license carpenters and develop systems to even blacklist them.
Scores of home-owners have fallen victim to what some have described as “scampish” contractors.
Even the banks are concerned. One official recently complained that some contractors, instead of working, end up in the “rum shops”.
In addition to poor quality homes, many structures have been left incomplete after banks refused to release advances on mortgages to continue work.
On Wednesday, during a meeting with residents of La Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali, admitted that his office has been receiving more complaints.
Contractors now have an added advantage because of the housing boom demands which can see many of them at the drop of a hat leaving one construction site and moving to their next unsuspecting victim.
This compromises quality in the long run, the Minister noted.
“The level of complaints that we are receiving have now necessitated our active intervention into this issue and we are going to look at different regulations governing builders and contractors… how they can be licensed… how their licences can be suspended…”
The intention, the official said, is to develop a database of contractors where residents can actually go online and assess a particular individual or company or even criticise them.
It is a model that already exists in other countries, Ali disclosed.
Another critical issue that affects home builders’ ability to recoup monies already paid to contractors or to force them to complete unfinished works is the absence of actual written agreements.
According to the Minister, he will be tasking his engineers and the Central Housing and Planning Authority to draft a generic contract that will be on the Ministry’s website and this could be used by homebuilders and contractors alike.
The official, however, acknowledged that home builders are sometimes at fault too. There have been reported cases of contractors working around the clock only to learn that there is no money or some imaginary fault was found with the home and there would be a refusal for payments.
There are numerous complaints of rackets by contractors like deliberate faulty foundation works to speed up construction time; cutting deals with suppliers; stealing materials from worksites, or even plain out abandoning work after taking advances.
(Leonard Gildarie)