Unlicensed Activity Program

Don't be a victim

Stories from consumers

We hear from consumers all over the State of Florida who are victims of unlicensed persons in various professions. People hire unlicensed persons for various reasons. Some people tell us they were not aware the person they hired was unlicensed. Some didn't think to ask because they felt they were in a desperate situation or they just “trusted” the character.

A few didn't care at first because they thought they were being a “smart shopper" when they got a cheap price quote. Generally people just don’t realize the potential financial harm they put themselves, their families and often their homes in, when they hire unlicensed persons.  Occasionally they hear of people who were taken by an unscrupulous person, but they don’t think it could happen to them.

This section is dedicated to brief anecdotes from letters and complaints filed by consumers who shared their unfortunate experience with hiring an unlicensed and unscrupulous person.

Think it couldn't happen to you? Think again….

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1. The case of the faulty electrical work

2. The case of the roof repair con

3. The case of the unfinished house

4. The case of the second mortgage and the leaky roof

5. The case of the homeowner who filed her complaint too late.

6. The case of the not so handy "handyman"

7. The case of the seniors and the shuttered up shutter company

8. The case of the sorry home owner who had to pay twice

1. The case of the faulty electrical work

I am writing to inquire if your Agency prosecutes individual doing electrical work without a license? I live in a resident owned Mobile Home Park in Central Florida. It is common knowledge in the neighborhood that the President of the Board of Directors for the Association  does work for individuals in the association. He does not have a license. This person added an addition on to the Mobile Home of our disabled son who resides on the grounds. My late husband hired this person to do this work as he was advised this person was a Contractor with an Electrical license who had done work for numerous residents in the Village.

Recently my son's mobile home caught on  fire. The Fire Marshal indicated the fire was likely caused by  faulty electrical wiring. Subsequently, I contacted the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and learned this person does NOT have the required license, so he could not obtain a permit to do this work which means no inspections were not done.

I learned from other residents that they always believed  this person did have the required license when they hired him to do work for them.

My son lost everything in the fire, and yet this individual who did the wiring seems to be able to do illegal work and get away with it. Please investigate this  unlicensed individual who is taking advantage of residents.

2. The case of the roof repair con

Recently, three men came to my door and told me they had been working in the neighborhood. They said they saw something wrong with my roof and offered to look at it for me.  I agreed, they told me I needed vents sealed and that they found a leak. They also claimed they found wet rotted wood which was doing structural damage. Although I had never seen signs of a leak before, this scared me. I’m an 87 year old window living alone and these men were slick and professional in their manner.  I decided to let them “help me.” They went up on the roof and seemed to work.   Later that day, they gave me paper saying I owed $860. I wrote them a check for the amount. As they left, I felt like something was wrong with the situation.  I called my bank just a few minutes after they left, and I was told the check had already been cashed.  The next day I went to the police station and learned from the “Senior versus Crime” volunteer that I had been a victim of a scam. These men were known con artist who move around quickly and take advantage of elderly folks.  I learned there was no work done on my roof, and I have not seen my checkbook since that day.

3. The case of the unfinished house

Two years ago a North Florida property owner contracted with a man who claimed to be experienced in home building. The project was to cost $75,000, which sounds pretty cheap for a new home these days.  Well it turns out he was not licensed, and she wanted to act as her own contractor and do “Owner Builder” permits. Things started off okay as they often do in these cases. In every way the unlicensed person seemed to be acting as a contractor for the property owner.  The house was being built. Things seemed to be getting done.  Then the work stopped.   Then the notices of non payment from suppliers and subcontractors started coming in. Then those unpaid bills turned into liens against the property. No surprise, the unlicensed “contact” walked off the job and left the woman with an unfinished house and bills to pay…that she had already paid to the tune of $45,000. She filed a complaint with the department who filed with the local state attorney. The good news is that the courts found the man guilty of unlicensed contracting and ordered restitution. He will also serve jail time. The bad news is, the house remains unfinished and the chances are not great that the property owner will ever see her money.

4. The case of the second mortgage and the leaky roof

A few years ago, after the state experienced a series of hard hitting hurricanes, a widowed homeowner needed to replace the hurricane wear roof on her Central Florida home.  Like many people at the time, this woman felt that she was on the verge of desperation to get her home repaired.   One company was canvassing her neighborhood and presented letterhead and contracts with the name of a “contractor” and officer. She thought she could trust the salesman and the company. She contracted to have the roof replaced for $35,000, and took out a 2nd mortgage on her home to pay for the repairs.  The company required $22,750 for a deposit, which is 65% of the contract price.  The deposit check was cashed and no work was ever started on the roof. The homeowner then learned she was a victim of an unscrupulous and unlicensed person claiming to be a roofing contractor. The subject was on the prowl in areas hard hit by the recent hurricanes. His target was homeowners desperate to have someone replace the roofs on their damaged homes.  The homeowner was left with a roof that remained damaged, a home that was inhabitable and a loan for repairs that she was still responsible for paying back to the bank.

5. The case of the homeowner who filed her complaint too late

Another woman on the west coast of Florida reported she paid $10,000 for roof replacement to an individual she thought was licensed.  Seventeen months later the roof began to leak and he would not return to repair the roof.  The homeowner finally hired a licensed contractor to fix the roof. It cost her nearly additional $20K to repair the damaged caused by the unlicensed contractor and to get her roof replaced correctly. Although the case was referred to the local state attorney, they were not able to prosecute the unlicensed person criminally because the problem was reported after the statute of limitations expired on the contract.

6. The case of the not so handy "handyman"

One homeowner reported that he wanted to build a guest room addition and a screened porch on to his Central Florida home. He was introduced to a man by an acquaintance who had done maintenance work and “handyman projects” on the acquaintance’s home. The homeowner reported he was led to believe the man was a contractor cable on  taking on his project. Because of the circumstances of their meeting, he trusted the man and paid him nearly $60,000 in CASH including a $25K down payment. The trust was misplaced, and the work was never completed.  Now the job was left incomplete, homeowner cannot prove how much he paid the “handyman” and he has no money to pay anyone to finish the job for him.

7. The case of the seniors and the shuttered up shutter company

In South Florida, after the hurricane streak, hurricane shutters became very in demand items for houses and condominiums. Of course with this demand the unscrupulous found their way into the business of feeding into the fears to others.  One such company sprung up without a state or local license to install hurricane shutters. Before they quickly closed up shop and left town, the owner was able to con nearly 100 senior citizens out of their money in the way of deposits. The unwitting seniors learned what had happened too late. They banded together and eventually won their lawsuit. The company and its owner were ordered to pay back more than $1.4 million dollars from the victims.  Unfortunately he left town early and hid well with all the money. He remains at large.

8. The case of the sorry homeowner who had to pay twice

Another homeowner reported he made a big mistake when he thought he could save money by hiring an unlicensed contractor to remodel his house. Nearly $130,000 later, he has no finished remodel and of course, subcontractors and suppliers who were never paid for their services. They now have lien rights on the property to collect their money. 

Thank you for taking the time to read about others who have had unfortunate experiences with unlicensed activity. 

If you have a story to tell about your experience with an unlicensed person, and would like to share it with others, please a brief synopsis to our office at ULA@ dbpr.state.fl.us.

If your believe you have been a victim of unlicensed activity, you may want to file a complaint.

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