The ROAM rebuild Bill of Rights
You should never have to get burned twice.
Unlicensed and predatory contractors have targeted fire survivors in Altadena — prosecutors have filed felony charges over it. The best defense is knowing your rights. Most of the protections below come from California's home-improvement contract rules, which the CSLB says also cover rebuilding a home damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster. They apply to any contractor you hire for that work, including us. Hold every builder to them.
What California law guarantees you
Your rights under state law.
- A capped down payment.
For home-improvement contracts, including the rebuild of a home damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster, the down payment is limited to the lesser of 10% of the contract price or $1,000 (Business & Professions Code §7159.5). Other kinds of contracts, such as design services or new construction on a lot that wasn't a disaster rebuild, can follow different rules.
- Time to change your mind.
In a declared disaster area you generally have an extended right to cancel a home-repair contract — seven business days rather than the usual three. Check your contract's cancellation notice; it's required to be there.
- A licensed contractor.
Contracting without a license in a disaster zone is a felony in California. Verify any license in seconds at the CSLB: cslb.ca.gov or (800) 321-CSLB. Ours is #1151324 — check it.
- Payments that track the work.
On a home-improvement contract, progress payments cannot lawfully exceed the value of work actually performed or materials delivered. If a payment schedule runs ahead of the build, that's a red flag the CSLB itself warns about.
- Protection from liens.
Subcontractors and suppliers must serve a preliminary notice to preserve lien rights. California uses statutory lien waiver and release forms: a conditional release before a payment is received, and an unconditional release once it has been (Civil Code §§8132–8138). A release from your contractor does not cover a subcontractor or supplier who served you a preliminary notice; their releases need separate attention. The CSLB publishes a homeowner's guide to preventing mechanics liens — read it before your first payment.
What ROAM commits to beyond the law
Our standards, in writing.
Five principles run through everything we build: clarity about your path, testing fit before deep commitments, one coordinated team, transparency about what's verified versus estimated, and continuity — your information moves forward with you instead of being re-entered. Here is what that means in practice:
- Legal-minimum deposit, always.
We take no more than the lawful down payment — and we'd rather you verify that than take our word for it.
- Milestone billing, never ahead of the work.
Invoices track completed, inspectable progress. You always know what you've paid for and what got built.
- Lien releases that match each payment.
With each progress payment, we provide a conditional waiver and release before the payment is received and an unconditional release after it has been received, in California's statutory forms. We also help you keep track of releases from subcontractors and suppliers who served a preliminary notice.
- Fixed pricing on complete drawings — and changes you approve first.
We price finished, permitted designs, not open-ended allowances. A change order is priced in writing, approved by you before work proceeds, and adjusts the contract everywhere it's tracked — so the final bill reflects what you approved.
- Honest numbers, labeled honestly.
Any early estimate we show you is marked as a preliminary planning figure — never presented as a quote. Assumptions are visible, and anything we can't yet verify is flagged to verify, never silently left blank.
- Your project in writing.
Decisions, approvals, and change orders are documented in writing, and you receive copies of your agreements, plans, and permits. Active clients are invited to the ROAM client portal as it becomes available for their project.
- We answer to you, not to referrers.
California law bars contractors from paying referral fees (B&P §7157) — and we also accept none. When we recommend a lender, attorney, or specialist, nobody is paying us to say it.
- Straight marketing, or none.
No cold calls, no purchased "fire victim" lists, no door-knocking, no paid reviews, no staged or synthetic project photos, and no design called "pre-approved" until the county's approval actually exists.
- Built for the whole community.
Our rebuild guides, rights page, and roadmap tool are available in English and Spanish. Large readable text and touch-friendly design across our tools, because rebuilding is hard enough without squinting at fine print.
- Walk away freely.
Take this page to every bid meeting. If another builder meets these standards and fits you better, you should hire them.
This page is consumer education, not legal advice; statutes and rules change — verify current requirements with the CSLB or your attorney.