St. Martin Parish deputies have arrested an Arnaudville man and accused him of home improvement fraud after a lengthy investigation.
The case began in April 2018 when a Butte Larose homeowner filed a complaint. She said she had hired Nicholas Bradford, 35, doing business as Gulf Coast Renovators, in September 2017 to remodel her home. After several months, the work was still incomplete. Deputies found that a subcontractor hadn’t been paid, even though the homeowner had paid the bill. Sub-standard work had been done in several areas on the home, causing additional damage, the homeowner alleged. Work that wasn’t necessary and hadn’t been requested by the homeowner also was done on the home, and she was billed for it, deputies say.
After an investigation, deputies arrested Bradford and booked him with misapplication of contractor payments, and home improvement fraud. Both counts are felonies.
The St. Martin Sheriff’s Office advises residents to exercise caution when hiring home repair personnel.
"Check with the Better Business Bureau and don’t provide payment up front to avoid these types of situations. Ask friends and family for referrals so that you can know the status of the company or individual’s work quality and history," a release states.
A search of the Louisiana State Licensing Board’s online database did not show any contractor’s license listed for Bradford or Gulf Coast Renovators.
If you’d like to search for a license, click here.
Here’s a brochure from the Board that offers tips on avoiding trouble when hiring contractors.
