Help a Low-Income Senior Who Was Exploited By a Predatory Contractor
Case Description: Ms. K is a low-income senior who lives alone. Her sole income is social security retirement and disability benefits. In March 2022, Ms. K signed a contract with a remodeling company for $55,000 to have her kitchen remodeled. The company told Ms. K this work would be discounted as part of a special government program to benefit seniors. Once they demolished the kitchen, the company changed its story, telling Ms. K that the “program” required them to install solar panels as well as remodel the exterior of her home. The company refused to move forward with the kitchen until she agreed to the installation of solar panels.
In June 2022, Ms. K received bills from another company alleging she owed $155,000 for the remodeling work. The company essentially held her kitchen hostage, refusing to complete the work until she signed a contract for solar for $155,000. Ms. K was caught in this scheme for many more months and paid even more money, even though the company never finished the work and refused to provide an itemized receipt.
Despite Ms. K’s timely payments, the company filed a lien against Ms. K’s property in November 2022. The legal notices were replete with gross misrepresentations. The time to enforce the lien has run, but the knowledge of its presence, the continued payments for solar panels that do not function, in addition to the cost of fixing all the incomplete work, weigh heavy on Ms. K.
If interested, contact Director of Pro Bono Programs, Sara Levine, at slevine@bettzedek.org.
