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Where to complain about plumber or contractor if you live in Maryland.
If you want to complain about your contractor, listed below are your major options. If you are not sure which option is best for you, read "Where is it best to complain".
1. Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR), Division of Occupational Professional Licensing:
Maryland Division of Occupational Professional Licensing is responsible for licensing plumbers, HVAC and home improvement contractors, electricians, and more.
You can check to see if plumber or contractor is licensed in Maryland online. To check a contractor's complaint history contact the appropriate board or commission. You can find their contact information here.
About a plumber in Maryland complain to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Board of Plumbing here.
About electrician complain using the Maryland Division of Occupational Professional Licensing complaint form that you can download from here. File your complaint with the county electrical board where the work was performed. More information is here.
About HVAC contractors complain using the Maryland Division of Occupational Professional Licensing complaint form that you can download from here.
You can use the same form (available here) to complain about Maryland home improvement contractors or complain directly to the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) here.
The Maryland Home Improvement Commission has a Guaranty Fund, which may reimburse you for the actual loss (up to $20,000) resulting from an incorrect or incomplete work of a licensed contractor through the Guaranty Fund claim process. Claims of up to $5,000 can be decided without a hearing. After you file a complaint with the Home Improvement Commission, MHIC will investigate the complaint. Following the investigation, if the complaint is not resolved, you may be eligible to file a Guaranty Fund claim.
To learn more about Maryland Home Improvement Guaranty Fund go here.
2. Maryland Attorney General.
You can also complain about your contractor (including building contractor) to the Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Attorney General. File either on-line complaint or download complaint form, fill it out, and mail to the address at the bottom of the complaint form that is nearest to you.
By calling the Consumer Protection Division's hotline at (410) 528-8662 you can find out if there were any complaints against the contractor or plumber, the nature of the complaints, and how they were resolved.
You can find more information on-line here.
Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Attorney General administers homebuilder registration and the Home Builder Guaranty Fund. The Guaranty Fund may reimburse consumers up to $50,000 of the costs of restoration, repair, replacement, or completion of a new home, if the builder did not honor the warranty, or failed to complete construction, or to meet construction standards or guidelines.
You can check a homebuilder's registration here.
3. Better Business Bureau:
Go to http://www.bbb.org/ and enter your zip code. When your local BBB page appear click on the "FILE A COMPLAINT" link and follow directions.
4. Small Claim lawsuits in District Court of Maryland: (For your information only - not a legal advice)
You can file a Small Claims lawsuit in the area where your contractor lives or where he does business.
Start your lawsuit by filing your Complaint Form with the Clerk's Office in the District Court. You can find a directory of Maryland District Courts here.
You can get the Complaint Form from the clerk's office at any District Courts or you can download the forms from here.
You will have to pay a filing fee and, if needed, some additional fees (such as service fees).
- Maximum monetary limit of claims: $5,000;
- Attorney: not required, but allowed for both plaintiff and defendant;
- Right to appeal: yes, for both parties.
You can find more information about Maryland Small Claims here.
5. On-line complaints.
We collect all sorts of customer reviews, complaints, and comments here.
To post your comment on Google find your contractor in Google maps, and click the “more info” link next to the name of your contractor. On the following page, scroll down to “Reviews by Google users” and click on “Rate and review” link on the left.
There are many other websites that let you post comments and complaints about your contractor. Below you may find just a few examples:
1) http://www.ripoffreport.com (registration required),
2) http://www.complaintsboard.com/
3) www.complaints.com
Return to "the State's plumbing and contractor licensing departments".
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