Lawsuit: Home Depot didn't get required licenses, permits for renovations

ATLANTA — New accusations brought to Channel 2 Action News claim that Home Depot did not get legally required licenses and permits to do home renovations.

Channel 2’s Dave Huddleston has been investigating the Atlanta-based company for five months, and he uncovered a class action lawsuit that claims inspectors never checked out the work.

A lack of inspections means that homeowners have no guarantee the work was done correctly and safely.

A retired couple told Huddleston they have a brand-new kitchen, but no peace of mind that it’s safe.

Dennis and Fran Hido’s kitchen had no floor, no water and no electricity after a local contractor took their money and started the remodel job, but didn’t do much work.

“So we were 10 months with a gutted kitchen, no sink, no nothing,” said Fran Hido.

The retired police lieutenant and his wife, who live outside Cleveland, Ohio, were desperate to have a working kitchen again, especially after two other contractors said no to the job.

They were relieved when Home Depot agreed to do the work in June 2015 for tens of thousands of dollars. But that feeling didn’t last long.

“We almost feel embarrassed that we not only got burned once, but it could be we got burned twice,” she said.

The Hidos thought they were hiring Home Depot workers, but subcontractors actually remodeled their kitchen.

“Over here, the sink. They did the sink. They put the sink in. They ran new plumbing back there,” said Dennis Hido.

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According to a class action lawsuit the Hidos filed in May 2017, Home Depot did not have the license required by Ohio law to do home renovation work.

“If they don’t have a license to work in Ohio, why don’t they have them? It isn’t that hard to get one,” said Fran Hido.

The Summit County Division of Building Standards Office sent us a copy of Home Depot’s only registration for a general contractor’s license, dated Dec. 5, 2016.  That’s more than a year after the Hido project, meaning they didn’t have one at the time of the job. To make matters worse, Building Standards also told us that no one pulled any permits for the plumbing and electrical work, which is also required by law.

“And then come to find out they didn’t. It’s just shocking. It’s just, it does take away your trust and we feel like they really, they lied to us,” Fran Hido said.

Because there were no permits, inspectors never checked the work to make sure it was safe and up to code.

“We don’t know if the electrical is going to keep working. We don’t know if the plumbing is going to keep working,” Fran Hido said.

The Hidos admit their kitchen looks great.

“A shiny coat of paint on it looks good but what’s underneath, you just don’t know,” said Dennis Hido.

Home Depot gave us a statement: “We disagree with these claims. We require our contractors to be properly licensed and obtain proper permits – if they are required. Our research shows that The Home Depot was not required to be licensed in Summit County at the time the work was performed for the Hidos, but the contractor that completed the work was licensed. There is some debate as to what, if any, permits were required."

But Building Standards told us there is no debate. The Summit County Code states: “No contractor shall perform any work within the county without a current certificate of contractor registration from the building official.”

Building Standards told us the contractor who did the work had a license.

A Channel 2 Action News investigation in April uncovered customer complaints about how Home Depot handles its lead paint removal projects, potentially putting those families at risk for health problems. Home Depot is currently under civil and criminal investigation for its lead paint work.

The Hidos say they filed the lawsuit to warn others and get Home Depot to change its practices.

“I don’t know what compensation they could give us to make us feel like, to make us feel our trust and like we could call them again,” said Fran Hido.

According to the lawsuit, there are potentially hundreds or even thousands of other Home Depot customers in Ohio who are in the same situation. The suit seeks to get everyone’s money back from Home Depot.

For more information on the suit, click here.

Cox Media Group