Choosing The Right Contractor

This step briefly explains the procedures that licensed contractors face when a complaint has been filed against them.


How Complaints against licensed contractors are handled.
Complaints are processed by priority. Complaints involving a threat to public health, safety and significant financial injury are given the highest priority. CSLB also prioritizes complaints based on the order of receipt and available resources and staffing.

* The complaint is usually first assigned to a consumer services representative (CSR). The CSR will attempt to mediate the complaint.

* If mediation is unsuccessful and the complaint is not closed for reasons such as settled, or lack of evidence, etc., the complaint may be referred to Small Claims Court, CSLB sponsored arbitration or assigned to an enforcement representative (ER) for investigation.

* The ER will investigate to determine if there have been any violations of the Contractors License Law or the Board Rules and Regulations.

* If a violation is established the ER may send the licensee a warning letter.

* If the established violation is of a more critical nature, the ER may issue a citation.

* For more serious violations of law, the ER may take administrative action by filing an accusation with the Attorney General stating the board's intent to suspend or revoke the license.

Note: At anytime the CSR or ER may close the complaint for reasons such as settlement, lack of evidence, no violation, etc.
For more information on the CSLB complaint, citation or administrative processes, please see the Consumer section How to File A Complaint, or the Contractor section Dealing with a complaint, on this Web site.

CSLB Revoked Licensee Facing Tough New Sanctions
Penalties are greater for contracting without a license

SACRAMENTO —Eight contractors were snagged in a Contractors State License Board (CSLB) undercover operation on February 24, 2010, with the assistance of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and the Corona Police Department.

Among those who were issued a notice to appear (NTA) was Carlos Soliz, of Wildomar, a revoked licensee who, because of enhanced penalty law for licensees, will face the same penalties as a person with a third conviction for contracting without a license. Specific penalty provisions for revoked licensees took effect on January 1, 2009. Now, with enhanced penalties for contracting without a license that took effect January 1, 2010, Soliz could face between $5,000 and $10,000 in fines and a mandatory 90 days to one year in county jail.

During the operation, CSLB investigators posed as home owners soliciting bids from contractors for painting, tile, and masonry work. Targets were selected from advertisements online and in local publications. The suspects face charges including contracting without a license, illegal advertising, and soliciting an excessive down payment.

California Business and Professions (B&P) Code requires all home improvement jobs valued at more than $500 for labor and materials be performed by a CSLB licensee, and that licensees include their license number in any advertisements for their contracting services. B&P Code also prohibits solicitation of a down payment greater than 10 percent of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less. There is an exception for about two dozen contractors who carry special bonds for consumer protection. These exceptions are noted on CSLB’s Web site.

"Always check your contractor’s license to make sure it is current and valid," said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. "And don’t let a contractor ask for more money than is legally allowed."

CSLB urges consumers to remember the following tips when hiring a contractor:


* Verify the contractor's license by checking online at http://www.cslb.ca.gov/, or via CSLB’s automated phone system at 1-800-321-CSLB (2752), and ask to see a photo identification to make sure you’re dealing with the correct person.

* Don't pay more than 10% down or $1,000, whichever is less. There is an exception to this for about two dozen contractors who have special bonds for consumer protection that are noted on the CSLB Web site.

* Don't pay in cash, and don't let the payments get ahead of the work.

* Check references, and get at least 3 bids and a written contract before your project begins.

* Contact CSLB if you have a complaint against a contractor.

Below are just a few of the pictures that we took of the cut electrical wires that the Shoddy Contractor cut on our home and then covered them up with OSB Board, Felt Paper and then siding. What a nightmare!! This could have caused our home to catch fire and even killed us and our animals.

I own a home in Lake Tahoe and was looking for a contractor to make some minor repairs. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough work to attract any of the local contractors. I met Brian with Betlan Construction through a friend. While Betlan Construction operates in Amador County, Brian took my call and agreed to take the job.

Not only did he do a great job, he repaired a couple things on his own that wasn’t part of the contract and did so without being asked. I will call on Brian and Betlan Construction for all my needs and have recommended him to many others.

Thanks Brian.
Dave in Lake Tahoe, CA

During the massive rainstorm we had last week we couldn’t get anyone to come out to fix our roof until we contacted Betlan Construction. They were up on our roof in high winds stopping the water from coming into our home and then repaired the problem.

Bless You Betlan Construction

Choosing the right contractor for your new construction, home repair or remodeling job can be one of the most important steps in the whole construction process.

Finding the right contractor can be intimidating and time consuming for many of us because we are putting our trust into someone else’s hands.


You must take your time when choosing the right contractor for your job.  Think of it as an interview process.

• If at anytime you have any uneasy feelings about this person, listen to your inner feelings.

• Do not let the contractor pressure you in anyway by trying to rush you into making a speedy decision on him or her.

• Have at least 3 contractors come to give you estimates on your home project.

• Get all proposals in writing and make sure you and the contractor have original copies.

• Check to see if the contractors name is typed on the proposal.

• Check the contractor’s license with the Contractors State License Board and make sure that you READ and REVIEW all of the information.  This can be tricky, however it must be done.

• Never let the contractor tell you that you need to get the permits, which is his or her job.

• Get as many references as you can and check them out.  Talk to them about their experience with the contractor and look at the project that was done for them.

• Check the contractor’s background.

• Do Not select a contractor based on price.

• Make sure that ALL details are in the contract before signing.  Take a few days to go over the contract before signing and make sure that you watch the contractor sign his name under his printed name. 

We are very compassionate about finding just the right contractor since we were so unfortunate in having a SHODDY CONTRACTOR work on our home which turned into a nightmare. 

We finally found this wonderful construction company named Betlan Construction which came on the job and repaired everything that the shoddy contractor had destroyed. We fully trust Betlan Construction and will use his company for all future projects as well as refer him to all of our family and friends! 

You will never go wrong by hiring an honest and knowledgeable contractor like Brian, the owner of Betlan Construction.

Our first contractor is also a member of Service Magic! 

Are you looking for a Quality Contractor in Amador County where you will not have to worry about being scammed?  Well Betlan Construction from my experience is the best out there.

Brian from Betlan Construction came to our rescue when we had the unfortunate experience from a Shoddy Contractor from Amador County.


With the knowledge and quality workmanship from Betlan Construction we had our home repaired and put back together in no time at all.

We had cut electrical lines that were just left without being repaired and buried under OSB Board waiting for a possible fire to happen to burn down our home and even kill us.  We could have lost everything that we own not to mention the lives of our animals which are family members and even our own lives.

We also had water lines that this contractor cut into and did not repair properly. 

If it had not been for Betlan Construction putting our home back together and putting all of our worries to rest, I do not know what I would have done.  Thank You Betlan Construction!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! Yesterday Betlan Construction installed a new skylight in our kitchen which looks beautiful! He could not have done a better job and I couldn’t be happier with each and every project that he does on our home.


Betlan Construction is a true person through and through and you will know you are in Good Hands when Brian and his crew come to work for you.

• Competitive Pricing
• Extremely Knowledgeable Contractor
• Trustworthy
• Dependable Contractor


Thank You Again For The Quality Work!


P.S. If you or anyone you know is looking for a contractor, I HIGHLY recommend Betlan Construction. You will not go wrong, I promise. We have referred him to many homeowners and each and everyone of them are more than pleased with his work and they are even referring Betlan Construction out to others.

Debi in Pioneer, CA

We live in Amador County and were doing a kitchen remodel when we found dry rot on the outside of our kitchen window as we were installing a new one. Our window installer informed us that we needed to find a contractor to fix the dry rot, so we started to interview many.  We thought we were doing all the right things by contacting many licensed contractors to get to know them and to get the best deal.

We picked out the contractor that was going to repair our home of dry rot, or I should say, “My husband picked the contractor”.  This contractor shows up with his girlfriend and they say all the right things.  They bring many samples of product to reside our home to give us the opportunity to pick what style we want.


On our contract the contractor has added 

• The job will be finished in One (1) Month.
• All payments to be paid at completion of the job.
• Contractor to remove dryrot.
• He is going to take all debris to the dump which is included in the contract price.

I will be continuing this.  Stay tuned.

If you go to The California State Contractor’s License Board site you will find a wealth of information to help you with all the answers to your questions on picking the right contractor and making sure he is legal.  We thought we did all the right things to make sure this contractor was honest.

After this contractor left the job, yes he abandoned the job!!!  THANK GOD!!!  Of course once again the lies come into play and he gives 4 different stories, never being consistent with anything because a person who doesn’t tell the truth can’t keep the same story.

• Get References!!  Many References!!  Call them up and if you can, go and check out the jobs that was performed.

• Make sure you get the contractors License Number to check with The State Contractors Board!!

• You will need to Check The Status of their License.  - Now this one can be tricky because we checked the status of his license.  Come to find out later, the license was not in his name!  The license was in someone else's name.  He had told us that he had been in business since 1980 and the license says 1990.  Plus if you start to click on all the links in the license you will find lots of information.  We found later that he had not been working under this license for over 12 years.  Came to us and has only been working under this license for a little over 5 years.  The license clearly shows no bond was paid for for over 12 years which means that they can not work under that license.

• I would check his drivers license as well to make sure that this is really the person you are dealing with.  Come to find out later, this person had another name and even more than that!!  He was not who he told us he was.

• Make sure his name is printed as well as signed on all proposals and contracts as well as any change orders.  AND make sure you watch him sign the contract!!

•  Make sure that you have a copy of the contract as well before any work starts.

5.01 Contractor's Performance


The performance of the contractor is measured by two criteria:

1. Whether the contractor performed the work according to the plans and specifications, and
2. Whether the contractor completed the work within the time specified in the contract plus any extensions of time authorized by change orders. 

We find out today that yet there was another lie from this Shoddy Contractor from Amador County!  He had come to us telling us he had been in business and owning this construction company since 1980 and has been licensed, insured and bonded.  (Me not thinking to do the math since he was only 43 years old - He would have been only 13 when he started the company)

As you can tell on the bond history above from The State Board, the bond started 1988 and then expired on 1991 and no bond from 1991 till 2004.  Which means they were not working with this license from 1991 to 2004.

Well that is another lie because we were informed that he had been working since 1980 and even if he had been working since 1991 would have been OK with us.  Not for a little over 5 years.

So what does this tell us?  It tells us that this isn't his license and that he doesn't own this company.  Well after further looking into this liscense we see that he isn't the owner of this company.  A lady is the owner and he is only the RME.  So now we assume that this lady who is the owner must be his mother. 

Are you looking for a knowledgeable, trustworthy, responsible, and dependable contractor that has your needs and wants in mind?

Betlan Construction is precisely who you want working on your home for you, and I say this from experience.


Brian from Betlan Construction is a professional who does quality work and ALWAYS goes out of his way to give the home owner what they want in a very timely manner. It is as if he is doing the project for himself and you will have peace of mind that you are in good hands.


We feel blessed that we made the right choice in hiring a professional company to do a major project on our home after we had the unpleasant experience of hiring a shoddy contractor that ruined our home! Betlan Construction was totally dedicated to us to make us whole again.

We will continue to do business with ONLY Betlan Construction for ALL future projects to our home.

Thank You Brian