Oregon Regulator Imposes Crackdown On Unlicensed Home Repair Handymen; State Fines Cash-Strapped Homeowner $600 For Soliciting Work On Craigslist

In North Bend, Oregon, The Register Guard reports:

• Unemployed paper-mill worker Mark Driscoll said he was just trying to pay his bills when he started doing handyman work more than a year ago. Driscoll, a North Bend resident, said he was unaware the state of Oregon requires people who do any kind of construction work for pay, including handyman-type fix-it jobs or minor remodeling, to have a state contractor’s license.

• So when Driscoll, who did not have a contractor’s license, solicited work via the Internet on the advertising site craigslist, state construction regulators noticed him and fined him $600 for violating state law. The recession has pushed many Oregonians besides Driscoll to try and make ends meet by hiring themselves out, unlicensed, to fix fences, clean gutters, paint houses and perform other handyman tasks.

• Their rising numbers and the ease of advertising on the Internet has prompted a crackdown by the state Construction Contractors Board. State regulators have issued record numbers of penalties to people like Driscoll.

• Facing bankruptcy and possible foreclosure on his home, Driscoll said a fine is the last thing he and other unemployed people need as they struggle in the recession. “They are fining people $600 who can least afford it,” Driscoll said. “This is unbelievable. They are throwing people over the edge.”

For more, see A license to repair (In a tough economy, some handymen run afoul of state rules).