Tips For Nevada Homeowners To Avoid Being Scammed On Home Repairs

Monsoon season is also one of the biggest times of the year for Southern Nevada residents to get scammed on home repairs by unlicensed contractors. The Nevada State Contractors Board just arrested such a contractor who got away with over $150K of Nevada residents' money. When the rains and winds of monsoon season hit a specific neighborhood, unlicensed contractors come from all over to profit from it.

Monsoon season starts in the southwestern United States usually in late June and lasts through September. When the summer temperatures heat up the land, the air over the Pacific Ocean gets humid. That air eventually becomes unstable and creates thunderstorms. And when those storms hit the Las Vegas area, a lot of damage can happen to homes.

Damage including flooding ruining landscaping. Winds knocking over fencing or trees. Even roofs collapsing in on houses. All things that homeowners need to repair after the storm subsides. And sometimes when residents are in a hurry to get damage fixed, they're not as diligent about making sure their contractor is licensed.

The Nevada State Contractors Board can help Southern Nevada residents who've had a contractor cause more damage during home repairs. If the contractor is licensed, the homeowner can file a claim within four years of the contractor's work being done. If the contractor is unlicensed, that drops to two years. Furthermore, an unlicensed contractor is not going to be the one to redo the work, so the homeowner will end up paying more to hire a second contractor.

These are just a few of the reasons why you should never hire an unlicensed contractor in Nevada. Jennifer Lewis, from the Nevada State Contractors Board, joined Talking Solutions to give more reasons. As well as tips on how to make sure your contractor is licensed, and red flags to look out for when choosing your contractor.

Original air date of this interview was August 13, 2023.

Let's face it...the 2022 Las Vegas monsoon season has been a doozy. And we still have a month to go. But just for a little perspective, the National Weather Service has named this the wettest Las Vegas monsoon season we've had in ten years. According to their twitter page, we've had 1.28" of rain so far this year. You can see on the graph the last ten monsoon seasons and how they compare to this year's numbers.

https://twitter.com/NWSVegas/status/1558067667558232064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1558067667558232064%7Ctwgr%5E6aaeaca5123d93433bf4e675177353e5a9605257%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F963kklz.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D423901action%3Dedit

Monsoon season starts anywhere between mid June and early July. And lasts until about mid September. Dangerous lightning, wildfires, dust storms and flash flooding. Monsoon season is not the time of year to be careless. That goes for whether we are home or out when a storm hits. On our Las Vegas roads we have seen a lot of slick pavement during this season, with the slippery combination of rainfall and discharge from automobiles. And the days after a storm haven't been any easier either. High winds and dust storms leaves a ton of debris on our roadways, making it hard to navigate even the most familiar of routes. During monsoon season, winds have been known to top 50 miles per hour, and many homes have seen damage like falling trees or broken shingles.

This year we've seen people dying in the flash floods of the underground tunnels. And Planet Hollywood just got an unexpected water feature in the middle of the gaming floor. Monsoon season is no joke. And it's important for us to remember when it's upon us. Let's do what we can to keep ourselves and our families safe during this treacherous time of year. To help in that effort, we've put together a list of tips that every resident should know during a Las Vegas monsoon season.

–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas

Sometimes the storms during monsoon season last a few minutes. Other times it's a few hours. But wherever you are when it hits, it's best to stay put if you can. All that wind and rain makes driving more hazardous than ever. And blowing debris and lightning can also cause issues. Find something to do wherever you are and wait it out, if possible.

Texting and driving is always a bad idea, but a thousand times over during a storm. The roads are wet, visibility is compromised from rain or dust storms. This is not the time to drive with less than two hands. Never take your eyes off the road and drive under the speed limit.

Monsoon storms sometimes cause us to temporarily lose power. If you have any appliances or routers that you just cannot afford to have go out, get a back up power supply. There are lots of options, from little battery banks to full on generators. And having candles and/or flashlights on hand is never a bad idea.

During monsoon season, it's smart to keep an eye on each day's weather. If you're not used to checking on the weather before leaving the house, you can set up a lot of smart devices to automatically deliver that news every day. Then you can take the necessary precautions if a storm is headed your direction. There are also weather apps to choose from that can set up a schedule for daily reporting.

We hear it all the time! Driving (or walking) through flash flooding is a bad idea. But still people do it. If you're one of these people, keep in mind that it only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock over an adult. And only a foot and a half of it to move a vehicle. Turn around. It's not worth the risk.

Like we said, monsoon season sometimes brings winds over 50 mph. So be prepared for a little furniture rearranging on your back porch. If you have outdoor draperies, string lights or lightweight pillows, you might want to bring them in or make sure they're well-secured to something. Or you might be fishing them out of your neighbor's yard.

With all the water we've been getting in Vegas, there has been many opportunities for some water to collect in puddles here and there. Well this is the perfect breeding ground for our little mosquito friends. So during monsoon season, make it a habit to check places around your house that water can collect and dump it before those little buggers can lay their eggs.