Guard against Renovation Contractors on Door-to-Door Sales
- Details
- Published: Monday, 26 February 2018 15:20
- Written by KEEP Office
Be very careful when you are approached by individuals claiming to provide repair services on our behalf. These contractors sometimes go from door-to-door, attempting to deceive residents without intending to carry out actual repair services.
We have received reports of contractors who approached residents and offered various repair and maintenance works, such as the replacement of bin chute hopper or installation of clothes hangers. They claimed to be from HDB and misled residents into believing that their products were HDB-approved. In some instances, residents fell prey to those who posed as our contractors, and paid a deposit for various repairs and maintenance works to be done, but the actual services were never provided.
Read on to learn how you can guard yourself against such imposters.
Ask for HDB identification
If there are maintenance or rectification works that need to be carried out in your flat, we will inform you in advance through circulars or notices on your block’s notice board. All our officers have a staff card with their photograph to identify themselves whenever they approach you. We suggest that you ask to see this staff card before allowing anyone into your flat, especially if they claim to represent us.
Guard against common tricks
These contractors doing door-to-door sales typically claim that they are doing upgrading work in the block or estate, and are able to offer you competitive rates. They may carry files or other official-looking dockets to give you the impression that they are HDB officers. They attempt to deceive by suggesting that your flat is in violation of ambiguous regulations, and demand payment for imaginary rectification. Their targets tend to be the elderly who are alone in their homes.
How to deal with them
Be firm and reject their services. Remind your elderly relatives who may be alone at home during the day that they should ignore such contractors if approached. Make a police report immediately if you have been misled, harassed, or cheated by them.
Precautions
Home renovation
Remember, engage only contractors who are registered with us to carry out renovation in your flat. Check our list of Registered Renovation Contractors or send an SMS to 9011-2222, to verify the registration status of a particular contractor.
Home repairs
You can refer to our list of contractors for minor home repairs. Though the list is not exhaustive or a guarantee of work quality, it is a good place to start sourcing for contractors. If you prefer, you can also engage your own contractor to carry out minor household repairs.
