This is a special story concerning some very unhappy tenants at a home in the Devinwood subdivision in Baytown. This story concerns repairs made to the Hurricane Harvey flood-damaged home by a Houston contractor. In this story you will also hear a statement given to On The Scene News from that contractor followed by a statement from Lt. Steve Dorris with BPD advising Baytown citizens concerning matters of this nature.
In a phone statement from the Houston contractor. He states that he and the actual home owner have talked and that the home owner wants him to finish the work started in the home. He claims the tenants are the source of the problem and alleges they purposely sabotaged his work.
This story is one that is getting more and more heated by the hour and according to the contractor will probably end up in court.
I asked Lt. Steve Dorris to advise the public concerning home restorations in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Here’s his statement…..
I hate to hear that any of our citizens are having to deal with any
more stress than they already are due to the hurricane and the
flooding and we are here to help in any way we can. Unfortunately
these events tend to bring some folks out of the woodwork that
may try to take advantage of our citizens and as such our citizens
need to be extra diligent when hiring contractors. All contractors
who were coming in and doing work because of the hurricane are
supposed to have a permit from the city, this helps the city ensure
that those that are doing work are insured in the event things such
as this happen. I also always recommend when hiring contractors of
any kind, ask for references and check them. Most reputable contractors
will gladly give customers references and/or shave photos of work
they have done. Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
to see if there have been any complaints against the contractor,
likewise if you have an experience with a contractor or a company
that you are not satisfied with, report it to the BBB, this can be
done online atWWW.BBB.ORG . Any of our citizens who believe
they have been defrauded or taken advantage of can always contact
the Police Department and make a report. We will vigorously investigate
these case and if it is determined that a criminal offense occurred and there
is enough evidence to pursue charges we will work with the District Attorney’s Office
to ensure that the offender is prosecuted.
