We as a trade don't stand up for our rights as licensed contractors and let the city inspectors walk all over us. We are scared. Scared of retaliation. Here are some facts.
The permitting process can be a great tool to help curtail illegal activity.
City officials are needed to inspect those jobs taken on by unlicensed individuals such as homeowners, property maintenance people etc..
City officials leave a false sense of security to the homeowner because they don't verify system design or function. They only are looking for code violations.
City officials do not have design questions on their exam, we do.
There are no inspections required outside city limits. So if there was this big impending danger then who is protecting these people?
License holders of large companies rarely ever get out and see the work done under their license.
Guys we need the license holders out there doing our inspections, not city officials.
Insurance companies would like to see the jobs inspected by any and all available parties to take the liability off the insured person...is this the reason we are beat down?
I need city officials to preventively and actively pursue non-permitted jobs. These are the criminals, not us. They file out of the parts houses left and right with equipment hanging out of their station wagons.... all the city officials would need to do is follow them.
But you know city officials don't have time to pursue non-permit pullers because they are too busy arguing with me over which kind of tape I used, or my insultube is not 1" thick, or my ducts don't have so much mastic on them that it would be easier to get into Ft. Knox than take the duct back apart....
We can't afford for our license holders to inspect every job because we are competing with illegals....a vicious cycle don't you think?
So you contractors just keep running scared, low ball prices, no health insurance, no paid vacations, cut hours in the off seasons.....just keep it up guys.
[Edited by Steve Wiggins on 07-19-2004 at 10:21 AM]
The permitting process can be a great tool to help curtail illegal activity.
City officials are needed to inspect those jobs taken on by unlicensed individuals such as homeowners, property maintenance people etc..
City officials leave a false sense of security to the homeowner because they don't verify system design or function. They only are looking for code violations.
City officials do not have design questions on their exam, we do.
There are no inspections required outside city limits. So if there was this big impending danger then who is protecting these people?
License holders of large companies rarely ever get out and see the work done under their license.
Guys we need the license holders out there doing our inspections, not city officials.
Insurance companies would like to see the jobs inspected by any and all available parties to take the liability off the insured person...is this the reason we are beat down?
I need city officials to preventively and actively pursue non-permitted jobs. These are the criminals, not us. They file out of the parts houses left and right with equipment hanging out of their station wagons.... all the city officials would need to do is follow them.
But you know city officials don't have time to pursue non-permit pullers because they are too busy arguing with me over which kind of tape I used, or my insultube is not 1" thick, or my ducts don't have so much mastic on them that it would be easier to get into Ft. Knox than take the duct back apart....
We can't afford for our license holders to inspect every job because we are competing with illegals....a vicious cycle don't you think?
So you contractors just keep running scared, low ball prices, no health insurance, no paid vacations, cut hours in the off seasons.....just keep it up guys.
[Edited by Steve Wiggins on 07-19-2004 at 10:21 AM]
