‘High-pressure’ repair scams on the rise in Burlington: police

Construction workers build new row homes in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Police have issued a warning about a rise in “high-pressure” home repair scams in Burlington.

In a news release on Tuesday, Halton police said that they have received multiple reports about individuals who are going door-to-door trying to sell unsolicited services at inflated prices.

Police say that the individuals often focus on driveway and roof repairs and claim urgent work is needed. Police, however, say that the work is often “substandard, incomplete, poorly performed, or never completed at all.”

The suspects often offer limited-time deals using leftover building material from previous jobs, ask for payment upfront, perform poor work or none at all, then “become difficult or impossible to contact after payment,” police said in the press release.

The suspects may even claim false associations with legitimate firms or lie about credentials, investigators advised.

Police say that homeowners should not agree to on-the-spot contracts or pay in full for work before the job is done Instead they advise obtaining multiple quotes, verifying business licences and researching the firm ahead of time.