Connecticut lists nine things a home improvement contract must contain, and a contract missing any one of them is not valid or enforceable against the homeowner. Two of the nine are the ones contractors most often leave blank: a starting date and a completion date. Read your Connecticut contract against that list before you sign anything, because in this state the list is doing most of the protective work.
Connecticut General Statutes § 20-429(a) sets out what a home improvement contract must satisfy before it is valid or enforceable against the owner. The contract has to be in writing, signed by the owner and the contractor, and contain the entire agreement between them. It must carry the date of the transaction, the name and address of the contractor and the contractor’s registration number, a notice of the owner’s cancellation rights, and a starting date and completion date. It must be entered into by a registered salesman or registered contractor. And it must disclose each business entity that is or has been a home improvement contractor in which the owner has held an interest during the previous five years.
Changes get the same treatment. Each change in the terms and conditions of a contract shall be in writing and signed by both the owner and the contractor, subject to any exemption the commissioner sets by regulation.
Read as a homeowner, that list is a form to check. The three items most often missing in practice are the registration number, the cancellation notice, and the pair of dates. A Connecticut contractor who cannot produce a document containing all nine is asking you to rely on something that may not be enforceable against you.
Registration is separate from licensing and matters on its own. Ask for the number, and confirm it with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection rather than accepting it as printed.
Because Connecticut ties enforceability to the document, the contract review is the selection process. A contractor whose paperwork is complete has usually been doing this a while.
General information rather than legal advice. Section 20-429 carries subsections and case law about partial recovery by a contractor that this page does not cover, and the statute has been amended over time, so confirm current requirements with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
Under CGS Section 20-429(a) it must be in writing, signed by owner and contractor, contain the entire agreement, and carry the date of the transaction, the contractor's name, address and registration number, a notice of the owner's cancellation rights, and a starting date and completion date. It must be entered into by a registered salesman or contractor, and must disclose contracting entities the owner has held an interest in over the previous five years.
The statute frames these as conditions for the contract being valid or enforceable against the owner. A missing starting date, completion date, registration number or cancellation notice is therefore not a technicality. Case law has addressed when a contractor may still recover for work performed, so take advice on your own facts rather than assuming either extreme.
Yes. The statute provides that each change in the terms and conditions of a contract shall be in writing and signed by the owner and the contractor, subject to any exemption the commissioner establishes by regulation. Verbal change orders are how disputes start.
Ask for the registration number, which must appear on the contract, and confirm it with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection rather than relying on the number printed on the paperwork or a vehicle.