What Should I Know About the New Contractor Licensing Requirement in NJ?

Recently, Senate Bill S1890 and Assembly Bill A2138 were passed by both houses of New Jersey Legislature and signed by Governor Phil Murphy. Essentially, these bills establish new licensing requirements for NJ home improvement contractors. Follow along to find out more about this new contractor licensing requirement and how one of the proficient New Jersey & Pennsylvania real estate lawyers at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. can help you understand how this might affect you.

What should I know about the new contractor licensing requirement passed in NJ?

Simply put, Senate Bill S1890 and Assembly Bill A2138 have been enacted to establish a new, professional state board to regulate home improvement and home elevation contractors; along with establishing requirements for licensure for each type of contractor. Namely, the New Jersey State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors may carry out the following:

• This new, professional state board must establish a code of ethics for new and existing home improvement contractors to keep a license.
• This new, professional state board must establish new education standards for new and existing home improvement contractors to earn a license.
• This new, professional state board must establish new experience requirements for new and existing home improvement contractors to earn a license.

It is worth mentioning that existing home improvement contractors may be grandfathered into these new initiatives; this is so long as they, at the very least, meet the board’s requisites for experience standards. In turn, upcoming home improvement contractors must complete certain apprenticeships, training programs, exams, etc.

How does this new requirement differ from previously enforced laws?

Arguably, preexisting laws for New Jersey contractors are less than desirable. This is because, in the past, contractors only had to carry liability insurance and pay $110 to be officially registered. In other words, they did not have to supply proof of apprenticeships, training programs, exam scores, etc. to legally conduct home improvement projects on a New Jersey home. As you may likely conclude yourself, this has caused an innumerable amount of New Jersey homeowners to be left victimized.

How does this new requirement benefit me?

As a New Jersey resident and homeowner, the passing of Senate Bill S1890 and Assembly Bill A2138 may greatly work to your benefit. Just some examples are as follows:

• These new requirements may protect you from being cheated by dishonest home improvement contractors.
• These new requirements may protect your home from being left unsafe/unlivable by inexperienced home improvement contractors.
• These new requirements may provide you with adequate restitution after incurring defective home improvements by incompetent contractors.

Further, if you were ripped off by a negligent home improvement contractor, you must take advantage of your rights and retain the services of one of the talented New Jersey real estate lawyers. And overall, to learn more about how this new requirement might benefit you, please reach out to us at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. today.