What you can do to avoid being deceived by unlicensed contractors

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Winter is approaching and that means many have their roofs repaired or are just starting to clean their chimneys, but it’s also a time when unlicensed contractors are lurking.

“There are a few different rings of these guys jumping around. They move from town to town,” said Justin Reynolds, a licensed contractor and owner of Alliance Chimney Sweep and Masonry.

Police are searching for David Russel Rhinehart, who is accused of defrauding customers throughout the Portland metro area by taking money for labor and materials but failing to complete the work as promised.

Police said Rhinehart knew a lot about the construction contracting business but was not licensed by the Oregon Construction Contractors Board.

Reynolds said incidents like this ultimately harm innocent business owners and contractors.

“The trust kills you because now you’re in a situation where they don’t trust you,” he said. “They show up, get on the roof, just rip the chimney off and demand money. “So you’re exposing yourself to someone who has a hole in the roof.”

Another piece of advice for potential customers: If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

You can check the contractor’s license at any time on the Better Business Bureau website.

If the person can’t provide a license number, that’s a big red flag.

Reynolds warned customers to go through a vetting process.

“Do your research. Look at something, more than one website. Yelp, Google, anything you can. And ask Facebook, the community pages are pretty great,” Reynolds added.