Where Can I Go for Help?

   If you are unable to resolve a dispute with your remodeler, contact the following:

• Your remodeler's local home builders association.
• The local or state government's consumer affairs office.
• The local Better Business Bureau.

  These people can work with you and the remodeler to attempt to resolve your complaint through mediation. Your local or state consumer affairs office will determine if your complaint involves any violation of consumer protection laws. If violations are discovered, appropriate action will be pursued. If no laws have been violated and a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached through mediation, many consumer affairs offices and local Better Business Bureaus offer arbitration (if both parties agree), as a substitute for court action. In some areas, the local Better Business Bureau works with remodelers in special dispute settlement programs. Remodelers who participate are bound by the decision of the arbitrator.

   If the remodeler is a member of a local home builders association affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), you might also call the local association for assistance in resolving your dispute. Many local builders associations make an effort to amicably resolve disputes involving their members.