SALT LAKE CITY — Have you done your spring cleaning this season?
It is that time of year and you might be taking a look at your yard or improvements that need to be made around your home.
But who you hire to do that work could be the difference between a ravishing renovation and a squabble with a scammer, like Mark Kilpatrick, who FOX 13 met $20,000 in the red in 2023.
He hired would-be contractor Paul Yantis to makeover his yard, but instead, Yantis absconded with Mark's money without finishing the job.
In 2024, about a year after making off with the cash, Yantis pleaded guilty via a plea agreement to felony grand theft in Bonneville County, Idaho.
“We signed it all, got it all done and he’s promising to come and do the work and he’s not showing up,” said Mark. “Five weeks after we sign the contract is when he shows up to start. It was excuse, after excuse, after excuse that he used preventing him to come and do this work.”
Mark did all the right things once he figured out Yantis’ game, but Katie Hass, the director of Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection said Mark’s situation is unfortunately not a one-off.
“Often times there’s contractors who start out with good intent or maybe they know they’re behind on a couple other jobs and so they need to get funds in to make payroll to finish up the jobs that they currently have because they bid lower than they needed,” said Hass. “They need more money in, so they start soliciting new jobs, but what they’re really doing is using the new jobs to pay for the old jobs and they’re just trying to play catch-up.”
That’s why documenting the process is so important to catching these landscaping scammers and reporting them.
“We have rules at the Division that are like laws that contractors are supposed to follow. It’s really important when you start talking about a change and what you originally agreed to, that you somehow get that in writing,” said Hass. “The estimated cost of that change and what that change actually entails and any delays to the project are all documented in some sort of written format.”
Before you hire anyone, contractor or otherwise to do work on your home, ask them for references or find their reviews online.
If they don’t give you references, consider it a red flag.
Also, get multiple quotes before you pick the first person with a seemingly good deal.
How they ask you to pay can also clue you in as to whether to book them or not.
“You want to make sure that you’re doing a payment in some sort of form that is traceable, maybe a check, maybe even a wire transfer, but something that shows the bank account that that information is going into,” said Hass. “Credit cards are actually a really great way if they accept credit cards to pay for things, because they do chargebacks if they never show back up. I would never give the whole amount upfront. I would always leave some off. Make sure that you are giving installment payments along the way and I would not ever give an installment payment if they have not completed that phase of work.”
The Division of Consumer Protection recommends always verifying if the person you hire is licensed with the state.
You can look them up on the Department of Professional Licensing’s website.
If you don’t want to create your own contract, the Department of Commerce offers a contract template for anyone who is looking to hire a professional contractor. It’s easy to view and print.
If you’re looking for a reputable contractor, you can view the construction business registry here.
