http://www.bluemountaineagle.com/Local_News/20170419/unlicensed-home-inspector-fined-80000
Unlicensed home inspector fined $80,000
Grant County’s Newspaper Since 1868 • April 19, 2017
195 N. Canyon Blvd, John Day OR • (541) 575-0710
Unlicensed home inspector fined $80,000
CCB: Gregory Mason Miller of Bend used a license numberbelonging to a legitimate construction contractor with the same first and lastname.
Blue Mountain Eagle
Published on April 19, 2017 10:17AM
The Construction Contractors Board has levied more than$80,000 in fines against a phony home inspector who performed dozens ofinspections in Central and Eastern Oregon in recent months.
Gregory Mason Miller of Bend used a license number belongingto a legitimate construction contractor with the same first and last name,along with the name of an unrelated Bend business, according to a CCB pressrelease. In advertising, he claimed to be licensed, bonded and insured.
Home inspectors must be certified by the ConstructionContractors Board after passing a national exam. Additionally, a homeinspection business must hold a CCB-issued contractor license. Miller wasneither certified nor licensed.
“He was doing significant business without offering any ofthe consumer protections that come with licensing, including a bond and CCBrecord that would alert potential clients to any history of problems,”Enforcement Manager Stan Jessup said.
The CCB added Miller to its new Buyer Beware list that warnsthe public of chronic offenders. People who make the list generally are phonyor predatory contractors who take money and produce little or no work or whorepeatedly violate state contracting laws.
“The goal is to make sure he doesn’t do any more homeinspections without obtaining the proper licensing,” Jessup said. “And it’s areminder to the public that people will lie — and do so convincingly — aboutwho they are and their credentials.”
Consumer complaints triggered the CCB investigation, whichis ongoing.
The CCB licenses construction contracting businesses,including home inspection businesses and home inspectors. Most any businessseeking work on a new home or home improvement project needs a license.
Contractors must include their CCB license number on anyadvertising so you can verify their license. To do so, visit oregon.gov/ccb and enter a license numberor name in the orange “Search” feature. Verify that the license is “active” andthat the full name on the license matches the contractor in question. In thiscase, Gregory Mason Miller did not show up in a search with any home inspectorcredentials. Call 503-378-4621 for help searching or understanding the results.
Contractors and consumers can report unlicensed contractorsand other illegal activity on the CCB’s website or by calling 503-934-2246.Licensed contractors carry bonds and insurance and can be held accountable ifsomething goes wrong. Only licensed contractors can get required buildingpermits.