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Construction Industry Tools
From L&I
Verify, Track and/or Report a Contractor
April 2014
Topics
Verify
Track a Contractor
Report a Contractor
Tools for Legitimate Contractors
L&I’s Approach to the Underground Economy
L&I’s New Look Up a
Contractor,
Tradesperson or
Business Application
Verify
You can now find all of the following information in
one look-up
– Licensing Information
– Bond and Insurance Information
– Workers Compensation Insurance Information
• Including tracking a contractor
– Bond lawsuit information and certain Tax Warrant
Information
– Safety inspection information
Information on Verify
Homeowners
– Verify contractors before hiring
– Ensure there are no “red flags”
Contractors / tradespeople
– Confirm their information
– Look up subcontractors before hiring
– Look up competitors
High-frequency specialists
– Suppliers, insurance agents, government permitting
offices, internal L&I staff
– Confirming information
Who uses Verify?
Verify was built to adapt to multiple
platforms
Search
Search results
Filters are common practice
– We use them across the web
– Amazon, Zappos, Kayak, libraries
Filters require less info up front
– Users provide some basic information
and use filters to narrow as they see fit
Filters educate
– they provide insight into the type of
information L&I has on an entity
Filters: how users can narrow their results
L&I’s Approach to Combating the
Underground Economy in Construction
•Getting Compliance staff to active jobsites
• Infractions
• referrals to audit
•Prosecutions when necessary
•Trade Shows and Consumer Events
•Promotions “Mike Holmes”
•ProtectMyHome.net
•Complaint Handling
•Education at Contractor Training Days
•Consultation
•Penalty reduction for first time
Helping contractors
Educating Consumers
Boots on the Ground
Compliance
Boots On the Ground
Focused on Getting Inspectors to Active Jobsites
Random Stops
Referrals
Using available data to plan their compliance route
Educating Consumers to “Hire Smart”
Created a new website and tools:
– www.Protectmyhome.net
Created and updated additional tools
– New consumer “Hire Smart” worksheet
– Consumer education brochure
– Contractor Marketing Cards
Home Show
– We attend all the major home shows throughout the state
• 250,000 consumers educated so far
Consumer Protection Campaign
Compliance Infractions are up 39% in Fiscal Year 2013
– 2,589 infractions were written
The Contractor program has made 708 referrals to audit
– 434 of those were completed
• 361 owed premiums
• 273 of the companies that owed premiums were unregistered
– $2,541,807 in assessments to Unregistered firms
Legal remedies
– King County Economic Crimes Unit
– Attorney General
– Other County Prosecutors
How the Home Builders Can Help
Please send us referrals– We do research and follow-up on every referral received
– The ones that have the most impact are:• Those that get us to active jobsites
• Those that provide bids, estimates, advertisements
– Use our new site: www.reportacontractor.lni.wa.gov
17
Potential Fraudulent Activity by an Employer
IF you know an employer who…
• Is operating a business without the proper license or
registration and has workers.
• Pays workers in cash and doesn't provide a payroll stub.
• Gives workers a 1099 form instead of the standard W-2.
• Has a large number of corporate officers listed for the firm,
and all work at the firm.
• Requires employees to work long hours but turns in fewer
hours than they actually worked.
• Has a worker who gets injured on the job, and the
employer promises to pay the doctor and medical bills
rather than report the accident to L&I.
18
Identifying the right informationInformation that is most helpful to LNI inspectors:
• Active jobsite with an unregistered contractor
• Address – complete as possible – including NW or Northwest and a major
cross street to help the inspector get to the right place.
• Additional information:
• Cars/license plates of marked vehicles at addresses ( i.e.: bob’s
heating van)
• Number of workers and the type of work they are doing
• Advertisements/bids/business cards
• Property owner information
Unpermitted work
• No building permit for a jobsite (preferably active)
• No Electrical permit, electrical work, but no visible electrical
contractor
• Plumbing work, but not visible plumbing company
19
Report Issues Online
Fill out the form. You do
not have to leave your
name.
Be as specific as you
can.
Follow-up
Shari Purves-Reiter
Contractor Fraud and Outreach Manager
360-902-4733
Shari.purves-reiter@Lni.wa.gov
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