Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act
Contract Template NOW AVAILABLE
By: Bryan W. Shook, Esquire
717-884-9010
September 1 2015 – On February 2, 2009, Attorney, Bryan W. Shook, became the first known attorney in Pennsylvania to draft and federally copyright a construction contract that helps contractors comply with the many requirements set forth under the new Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act which was signed into effect by Governor Ed Rendell on October 17, 2008. The new contractor’s registration law took effect on July 1, 2009 and it carries serious criminal and civil penalties if it is not followed. The State’s Attorney General’s Office has been taking the law seriously and has filed numerous civil and criminal actions against both large and small contractors alike. Don’t get caught not being compliant with the law or you might lose all of the credibility in your field that you work so hard to attain.
Nearly three years ago, Attorney Bryan Shook spearheaded a statewide campaign to get contractors compliant and in an effort to developed a construction contract form for contractors to use. This template has been used by hundreds of contractors, just like you, and is available for purchase by calling 1-800-287-1202.
Under the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (PA HICPA) (effective July 1, 2009), for all home improvements in Pennsylvania with an actual cash value in excess of $500.00 the contractor will have to provide, to the homeowner, a formal written contract that meets the all of the requirements of the new consumer protection act (HICPA). If your contract does not meet the requirements of the HICPA, the courts may view it as invalid and unenforceable. This is very strong legal language. In real world terms, if you want to make sure you are protecting yourself and your right to be paid for work completed, you will need to have a contract which complies with the HICPA.
As a licensed Pennsylvania Attorney and to facilitate your compliance, here’s what I’ve developed.
What I offer is a Microsoft Word® based computer file that is a contract form template that facilitates contractor’s compliance with the contractual requirements of the newly enacted Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (PA HICPA). I drafted the contract template that I offer after reading the HICPA and realizing the burdens and responsibilities it places upon contractors with respect to compliance. Upon reading the law, I immediately noticed a need for an easy to use contract template that would enable contractors to comply with the contractual requirements of the new law.
The contract form template that I developed is a clean sheet of paper contract template meaning that it’s not an old contract that I simply reworked to meet the requirements of the new law. Instead, the document that I drafted was created, from scratch to facilitate contractors’ compliance with the newly enacted HICPA. I sell the contract template for the flat fee of $175.00. Upon purchase, the contract template will be emailed to you, usually within an hour of purchase. Once you have the contract template you can save it onto your computer and use it for your business, as many times as you would like.
What’s included?
- Microsoft Word® based (97/2003 version so that it’s forward compatible with the latest versions) HICPA contract form template with all of your businesses information pre-printed on it;
- The statutorily required Three Business Day right of rescission;
- The statutorily required Notice of Cancelation;
- The telephone number and recommended language of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection
- An emergency work authorization form as required by the Pennsylvania Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act
- The portion of the Pennsylvania Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act that defines and emergency and emergency work that is referenced in the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act
- The direct support of me, Attorney Bryan W. Shook, as you start using the contract templates so that you can familiarize yourself with the document and have any questions answered and concerns addressed. Remember, this is a document that I personally drafted, from scratch to facilitate your compliance, so it is my intention for this document to WORK FOR YOU, not against you. If there is anything that you do not understand or require clarification, you can call me and ask me. You will get an answer, not an “I don’t know.” Remember, at all times you’ll be dealing with me, Bryan W. Shook, not a salesman or a non-attorney.
This is not a form that you could purchase at a store or any other online site. As an attorney, I can not state enough times how important that it is to actually speak with the attorney who is drafting a form for your use. Without this safeguard, how do you really know what you are getting? Remember, what is good in Maryland may not be good in Pennsylvania and what was good in Pennsylvania, prior to July 1, 2009 is certainly not good today.
Please call me (Bryan W. Shook, Esquire) at 717-884-9010. I can also be reached by email at mailto:bshook@shooklegal.com. For your convenience, I accept most major credit cards and, in most instances, can have the contract form template emailed to you the same day.
Don’t be left behind or find yourself not getting paid for jobs because your contract was invalid or you were not registered.
For more information on registering, please visit Http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.