HYATTSVILLE, Md. – The rain is only making things worse at Marion Robinson’s home in Hyattsville, Maryland. Missing gutters are causing water to pool around the foundation. Inside, there’s exposed wires, blue tarp, dust and debris.

“When I get up and look at it in the morning, it makes me sick,” says Robinson.

The wreckage was caused not by a storm, but by an unlicensed contractor says the Maryland Home Improvement Commission.

Executive Director Steve Smitson ticks off the violations:

“This contractor does not hold a home improvement contractors license, he does not hold a master electricians license and he’s not licensed to do heating, ventilation and air conditioning work.”

He also abandoned the jobs, says Smitson, are yet another violation.
It’s not the result Robinson dreamed of when she paid $40,000 for an addition to her kitchen and dining room. The entire contents of those rooms, shelves, cookbooks, chairs, and a refrigerator are piled in her living room. The cabinets are off the walls, the sink is missing doors. She’s wiped off layers of dust, and has carved out a tiny space in the corner to sit.

“All this stuff was moved from the kitchen and the wall was torn down in January. They came out and did two hours of work every day up until the last of March, and that’s when they quit,” says Robinson.

She’s been dealing with the mess, ever since.

“I really trusted him, I thought he would finish the job,” she says.

Though the contractor showed Robinson a license, it was not valid in the State of Maryland.

That’s why Smitson says it’s so important to check, either online or by calling the Home Improvement Commission. Smitson says he’s seen this kind of disaster happen to many elderly homeowners

Article Source: MyFoxDC.com

Moral of this story? Make sure the Maryland home improvement contractor you select has a MHIC license!