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1    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Home Repair Fraud Act is amended by
5changing Section 3 as follows:
 
6    (815 ILCS 515/3)  (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1603)
7    Sec. 3. Home Repair Fraud.
8    (a) A person commits the offense of home repair fraud when
9he knowingly enters into an agreement or contract, written or
10oral, with a person for home repair, and he knowingly:
11        (1) Misrepresents a material fact relating to the
12    terms of the contract or agreement or the preexisting or
13    existing condition of any portion of the property
14    involved, or creates or confirms another's impression
15    which is false and which he does not believe to be true, or
16    promises performance which he does not intend to perform
17    or knows will not be performed; or
18        (2) uses or employs any deception, false pretense or
19    false promises in order to induce, encourage or solicit
20    such person to enter into any contract or agreement; or
21        (3) enters into an unconscionable agreement or
22    contract requiring payment to the contractor of at least
23    $4,000. A contract is unconscionable within the meaning of

 

 

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1    this Act when an unreasonable difference exists between
2    the value of the services, materials and work to be
3    performed and the amount charged for those services,
4    materials and work. For purposes of this Section, prima
5    facie evidence shall exist that the contract or agreement
6    is unconscionable if the total payment called for by the
7    contract or agreement is in excess of four times the fair
8    market value for those services, materials and work; or
9        (4) fails to comply with the provisions of "An Act in
10    relation to the use of an assumed name in the conduct or
11    transaction of business in this State", approved July 17,
12    1941, as amended, and misrepresents or conceals either his
13    real name, the name of his business, or his business
14    address.
15    (b) A person commits the offense of home repair fraud when
16he knowingly:
17        (1) damages the property of a person with the intent
18    to enter into an agreement or contract for home repair; or
19        (2) misrepresents himself or another to be an employee
20    or agent of any unit of the federal, State or municipal
21    government or any other governmental unit, or an employee
22    or agent of any public utility, with the intent to cause a
23    person to enter into, with himself or another, any
24    contract or agreement for home repair; or .
25        (3) promises performance which the person knows will
26    not be completed at any time during the performance of the

 

 

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1    service.
2    (c) For purposes of subsection (a), paragraph (1), it
3shall be a rebuttable presumption of intent or knowledge that
4a person promises performance which he does not intend to
5perform and knows will not be performed when, after no
6performance or no substantial performance of a contract or
7agreement for home repair, he fails or refuses to return
8payments made by the victim and he:
9        (1) fails to acknowledge or respond to a written
10    demand for commencement or completion of home repair
11    within 10 days after such demand is mailed or presented to
12    him by the victim or by the victim's legal representative
13    or by a law enforcement or consumer agency acting on
14    behalf of the victim; or
15        (2) fails to notify the victim in writing of a change
16    of business name or address prior to the completion of the
17    home repair; or
18        (3) makes false statements or representations to the
19    victim to excuse his non-performance or non-substantial
20    performance; or
21        (4) uses deception to obtain the victim's consent to
22    modification of the terms of the original contract or
23    agreement; or
24        (5) fails to employ qualified personnel necessary to
25    perform the home repair; or
26        (6) fails to order or purchase the basic materials

 

 

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1    required for performance of the home repair; or
2        (7) fails to comply with municipal, county, State or
3    federal regulations or codes relating to the performance
4    of home repair.
5    Intent and knowledge shall be determined by an evaluation
6of all circumstances surrounding a transaction and the
7determination shall not be limited to the time of contract or
8agreement.
9    Substantial performance shall not include work performed
10in a manner of little or no value or work that fails to comply
11with the appropriate municipal, county, State or federal
12regulations or codes.
13(Source: P.A. 87-820.)