NEWARK - An Ocean County contractor allegedly violated the State's Home Improvement Contractors' Registration Act (HICRA) by failing to register and knowingly creating fraudulent registration data to deceive consumers and municipal code enforcement officials, Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Acting Consumer Affairs Director Stephen B. Nolan announced today.

The State's six-count complaint against AZ Renovations L.L.C. and its owner, Paul A. Miller, is the first action taken against a home improvement contractor for allegedly creating and using a fictitious registration.

“The defendant not only broke the law by not registering but deceived consumers by misrepresenting that he in fact was registered,” Attorney General Rabner said. “We believe this contractor knew about his legal requirements and instead opted to commit fraud.”

AZ Renovations, also known as AZ Renovations and Construction, maintains business addresses in Freehold and Lakewood and has been in business since August 2005.

The HICRA required all home improvement contractors to submit initial registration applications by December 31, 2005. A registration form for AZ Renovations was submitted to Consumer Affairs in late March 2006. Consumer Affairs requested additional information from Miller to complete the registration process but that information has not been provided to date and the company remains unregistered.

While unregistered, Miller allegedly attempted to obtain a building permit from a municipal official by falsely representing that he was a registered home improvement contractor.

Under the HICRA, unregistered home improvement contractors cannot legally obtain permits from local construction code officials nor can these contractors engage in the business of home improvement.

AZ Renovations allegedly stated on its web site that it was a registered home improvement contractor and used a fabricated registration number on its web site. The fabricated registration number also was used on consumer contracts and company vehicles.

Additionally, the company's contracts did not contain information about the date when work was to commence, the date when work was to be completed, proper notification of a customer's right to cancel the contract and the toll-free number to contact Consumer Affairs to file a complaint. All of this information is required in contracts under the HICRA.

Consumer Affairs began its investigation into AZ Renovations after one consumer filed a complaint after paying for work that was never started.

"This Division has little tolerance for contractors who would deceive consumers and municipal officials through false registration numbers. We are committed to enforcing the law so consumers - who can spend thousands of dollars on a home improvement project - are protected," said Acting Director Nolan.

Nolan added that other AZ Renovations customers who believe they have been victimized can file a complaint with Consumer Affairs by calling 1-800-242-5846 or 973-504-6200.

In addition to consumer restitution, the state's complaint seeks civil penalties and reimbursement of its costs. The initial violation of the HICRA carries a penalty of not more than $10,000, with each additional violation carrying a penalty of not more than $20,000.

Deputy Attorney General Jody A. Carbone is representing the state in this matter.

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