Beware of crooked contractors in sheep's clothing! They are out to take your money. They don't care what kind of a crappy job they do. They are counting on you not to notice the problem until they are long gone. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your hard-earned money.

Every year the city gets complaints of people being ripped off, taken advantage of and cheated. And every year we have fly-by-night contractors drumming up business by going door to door in the city. Please remember, by issuing a temporary door to door permit to an individual or company, the City of Alliance is in no way approving of the company, the individual, or the way they conduct business. If properly requested, the city can only deny a temporary solicitation permit if the applicant has been convicted of moral turpitude (being corrupt, a sleazeball, etc.) in the preceding five years.

If someone comes to your door and states that they are working with the city for home remodeling, they are lying. If someone comes to your door and says they are involved with the city’s owner-occupied rehabilitation program, they are lying. The city takes applications for this program at 504 E. Main St. We do not send people door to door.

Also, the city's building department is always on the lookout for contractors doing work in the city without obtaining the proper permits. If someone comes to your door trying to get you to fix up your house, take heed. Call Jennifer at the Mayor's office to see if they have a permit to be going door to door. Her number is 330-821-3110. Then call the building department to see if they have issued the proper permits for this contractor. Their number is 330-823-5122. Then call Ron Crosser in the Income Tax Department to see if the company has registered to pay city income tax. Ron's number is 330-821-9190.

You can protect yourself by not inviting problems into your house. Local contractors with good track records are your best bet. The city's building department is familiar with their work. While they can't recommend anyone in particular, they can tell you if the contractor has done work in the city before. Don’t forget, lots of times the fly-by-night contractors are hooked up with predatory lenders who offer to finance your repairs. Predatory lenders prey on unsuspecting people, charging outrageous interest rates and fees. The siding you thought was going to cost you $5,000 ends up costing $25,000.

If you do sign up to have work done on your house, make sure the contractor gets a building permit. They have to display the permit at all times when working at your house. In a front window, visible from the street is best. When the work is done, a final inspection from the city's building department is needed. If your contractor doesn't call them, call them yourself.

If the final inspection shows that the work is not up to snuff, the contractor will be given a chance to correct it. If they don’t fix the problems, the city might be able to seek a legal remedy in court. The building department will also "bird dog" the contractor to achieve compliance. But they can't "bird dog" them if they don't know the work is going on. And that doesn't mean they have to give your money back.

It is up to you the homeowner to follow up on the situation. Call the building department to see if the contractor has the proper permits. And call to see if they have registered with the income tax department. The city will help you as much as possible, but after you have signed those papers on the rip-off loan, or written the check to the contractor, it's pretty hard for us to do anything about it. Just be aware of what's going on and don't be afraid to call the city with questions.