Your rights
Connecticut
Connecticut · home improvement
Before work starts
We have no verified deposit limit for Connecticut. Ask what the deposit pays for, and pay in stages tied to finished work.
Ask: What does the deposit pay for, and can the rest be paid in stages as work is done?
For home improvement contracts
Cancel by midnight of the third business day (Saturday counts). The contract must include two cancel notices near your signature.
Some sales are excepted, such as emergency work you start in writing.
When it applies
Home improvement contracts, which are covered by the Home Solicitation Sales Act. Saturday counts as a business day; Sundays and the listed holidays do not.
You can cancel until midnight of the third business day after the transaction date (Saturday counts, Sunday does not). The contract must include two copies of a notice of cancellation near your signature.
On the contract and ads
Home Improvement Contractor
Your contractor
A Connecticut home improvement contractor must be registered with DCP before offering or doing the work.
A Connecticut home improvement contractor must be registered with DCP before offering or doing the work, and the registration number must be on your contract.
Who needs one: Anyone doing home improvement work on residential property (single or multifamily dwellings of six units or fewer, condominiums or common interest communities) who charges more than $1,000 for home improvement contracts in any 12 consecutive months.
Who doesn't
Where the number must appear
Issued by: Department of Consumer Protection (DCP)
An estimate isn't the contract. Ask for all 7 in writing before you sign.
In the rule's words
Be in writing, signed and dated by both sides, with a signed copy given to you.
In the rule's words
Show the contractor's name, address and Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration number.
In the rule's words
State the entire agreement in plain language: the work, the materials (quality or brand), the final price and the payment schedule.
In the rule's words
Show four dates: the transaction (signing) date, the start date, the completion date and the last day you may cancel.
In the rule's words
Include a notice of your right to cancel within three business days, in two copies, in boldface type of at least 10 point.
In the rule's words
Say who is responsible for building permits and for cleaning up the worksite.
In the rule's words
Put any change to the contract or the completion date in writing.
Notes from our check
General information from official Connecticut sources. For your situation, ask the state's consumer protection office or a lawyer.