Understanding Home Improvement Contracts Under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act

New Jersey residents, are you familiar at all with the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act? It is over 100 pages long and was enacted to protect consumers from unconscionable and fraudulent business practices in New Jersey.

If you feel as though you've been wronged by a business in New Jersey, there is a possible chance you have certain protections under the Act.

The Act affords consumers protections in many areas, including real estate, automotive, and home improvement.

Just a quick example: you always have the option to cancel a home improvement contract within three days of execution, regardless of what is actually stated in the contract. It turns out that a contractor would be in violation of the Act if it failed to include such a provision providing for cancellation within three days of execution.

A violation of the Act could expose the violator to treble damages (essentially three time the amount of damages that are awarded), which has helped shift the dynamic in favor of consumers over predatory businesses.