neighborhood news
Get Help With DCRA Contractor Rating System System Joins Permit Wizard to Help Residents Make Project Decisions
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etting work done on your home or business can be an anxious road to travel. How can you be sure the contractor is dependable? How much experience do they have navigating the District’s inspection and permitting systems? The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is well aware of those concerns. “DCRA frequently hears the real life nightmares of District residents, often senior citizens, who pay for renovations and repairs, but don’t receive the work for which they have paid,” said a spokesperson. “Unfortunately, the options for recourse after the fact are sometimes limited, and always a headache.” Enter the DCRA Contractor Rating System, which arms residents with information so they can hire contractors who possess a proven track record of proper licensing, construction and inspections. While ratings from customers are available on platforms such as Yelp, Angie’s List and Google, DCRA says their Contractor Rating System is both different from and complementary to those systems. “As a licensing and enforcement agency, we are in a unique position to objectively provide public information regarding a building professional’s actual performance, both on a single project and overall,” the agency writes. “DCRA does not provide recommendations, but empowers you, the customer, with information so that you can make a betterinformed decision.” The information in the DCRA rating system can be paired 20
E a s t o f t h e R i v er D C N e w s . c o m
by Elizabeth O’Gorek
Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) Director Ernest Chrappah demonstrates the Contractor Rating System at the March 9 launch event. Courtesy: DCRA
with customer reviews from other sites to help prospective clients make better choices based on their needs. Ratings are based on DCRA’s past experience with professionals, taking into account quality of plans at intake, caliber at review and the pass/fail rate for inspections. Projects are categorized, and professionals given percentile scores, with different weights assigned to categories for differing professionals. Each star is worth 20 percent, meaning a 4.5 star rating indicates a 80-89 percent score. Some contractors won’t be found in the system. In order to be listed, they must be licensed in the District and have worked on a project in the past three years. They may also be listed under a different name; for instance, an architect may be listed as part of a firm. The system was launched March 9. It will expand in phases, to facilitate improvements and feedback. It started out with architects and interior designers, general contractors and home improvement contractors. Phase two will include electricians, plumbers, gasfitters as well as professionals in sprinkler systems, refrigeration and air-conditioning. The final phase will add permit expediters and professional engineers. When fully launched, there will be 4,731 professionals in the Contractor Rating System. If you know which contractor you are interested in, you can use the system to see how seamlessly a project was guided through planning and inspection. However, you can also use the system to find a professional for your project.
