How Aurora Home Remodelers Works

Use this list with any remodeler you're thinking of hiring. Each item comes from the City of Aurora, Illinois law or a public agency, with a link so you can read the rule yourself.

• City licensing. The City of Aurora says every contractor has to meet its licensing rules before any permit gets issued. Ask the remodeler how they meet them, and write down the answer.
• Proof of insurance. The Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act does not require contractors to carry insurance. Ask for proof of coverage anyway, and read what the policy covers before work starts.
• Who pulls the permit. Aurora lists interior remodels, additions, structural changes, roofing and decks as work that needs a permit, and electrical, plumbing or mechanical work may need one too. Painting, flooring and carpet don't. Agree in writing on who pulls the permit, then check that it's posted so it's visible from the street.
• A written contract. For jobs over $1,000, state law calls for a written contract before work starts. The contract needs the full price, along with the company's name and address.
• The consumer rights pamphlet. Contractors must give every customer the state pamphlet Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights. On jobs over $1,000, you and the contractor both sign an acknowledgment form.
• Your right to cancel. Sign a contract at your home, and the Illinois Attorney General explains that you have 3 business days to back out. That window grows to 15 full business days for buyers age 65 and up when an uninvited salesperson came to the door.
• Red flags. The Attorney General warns about requests for cash or full payment up front, checks made out to someone other than the business, a P.O. box with no street address, and door-to-door storm chasers. The same page suggests getting more than one written estimate.
• Lead-safe work in older homes. For a house from before 1978 where the job will disturb paint, Aurora's residential remodel application asks for a contractor who is EPA Lead-Safe Certified. Ask to see the certificate.
• Historic district approval. In Aurora's Tanner, Palace Street, Near Eastside or Riddle Highlands historic districts, outside work like windows, siding, porches and doors needs a Historic Certificate of Appropriateness. Interior remodels don't.
• Radon before a basement project. Kane County, one of Aurora's four counties, sits in the EPA's highest radon zone, per the Kane County health site. Test before you finish a basement, and test again after the work is done.