WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 10, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — As many New Jersey homeowners are planning on elevating their homes to protect against future flooding, Assemblyman John Amodeo introduced legislation Monday outlining new consumer protection standards for home elevation contractors.
“This work is not for amateurs,” said Amodeo, who is a retired licensed crane operator and a member of Operating Engineers Local 825. “It’s a serious project that could result in severe structural damage and serious injury.”
Amodeo’s proposed legislation, A-4394, is aimed at protecting homeowners who elevate their homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy by adopting new standards so that home elevations can proceed safely.
In July, a Sandy-damaged house being elevated 10-feet from its foundation collapsed in Little Egg Harbor badly injuring three workers, according to local officials and news reports. Later in August, a house in the Highlands slid off its foundation and into a neighboring home as it was being raised for flood protection.
“Home elevations have never been done on such a large scale in New Jersey as we will see through the next several years,” continued Amodeo. “Safeguards need to be put into place now if we are going to avoid shoddy work and fatal accidents. This will increase safety for everyone, and get the job done correctly.”
The legislation calls for the establishment of standards to protect homeowners by ensuring contractors working on home elevations are qualified with the right equipment capable of lifting homes and carry sufficient insurance to protect homeowners.
The bill would require any contractor offering services to elevate homes to be registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs as a home elevation contractor. To obtain this registration status, the contractor would need to have at least two years of field experience under the guidance of another experienced home elevation contractor.
This bill would also require all home elevation contractors to use a unified jacking machine to complete each project. Unified jacking machines are capable of lifting the entire bulk of the structure in a simultaneous, synchronized manner, and have proven to be the most reliable, least accident-prone means of elevating buildings.
Home elevation contractors would also be required to carry commercial general liability insurance in a minimum amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence. Finally, these contractors would be required to carry an additional $500,000 in insurance to cover the contents of the premises for any potential peril not covered in the homeowner’s insurance policy that could result from elevating the house.
