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If Rappahannock County’s electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors are licensed, then work done here will be both safer and cheaper, according to building inspector Emil Smet.
Mr. Smet was before the supervisors at Monday’s board meeting to argue in favor of a local ordinance requiring certification for contractors in those fields. Often, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work done by unlicensed contractors “does not follow the (state’s building) code 100 percent and problems arise,” he told the supervisors.
“The homeowner has no way to get back at these contractors.” If they’re unlicensed, then the work is not covered by the state of Virginia’s contractors’ insurance; “if they are licensed, then the homeowner can go to the board for financial help,” Mr. Smet said.
He told of safety hazards he’s found on jobs performed by unlicensed contractors:
• High voltage electrical panels exposed near where crews were working.
• Tenants, without an occupancy permit, in a new rental house where a gas hot water heater was sending exhaust fumes directly into the living quarters.
“If they’re not licensed, I can only tell them about the violations . . . But if they’re certified, they know in advance that their license is at stake,” Mr. Smet said.
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