The Home Improvement Surety Bond is the bond form published by the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) for businesses that engage in home improvement work in the District of Columbia. It is one of the documents tied to a DC business license in this trade: the bond runs for the license year and protects the District and anyone harmed by a violation of the home improvement laws. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original PDF is published by DLCP at dlcp.dc.gov.
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What is Home Improvement Surety Bond (Fillable) – Washington, DC?
The Home Improvement Surety Bond is a one-page bond in which a home improvement business (the Principal) and a bonding company (the Surety) bind themselves to the District of Columbia and to any person aggrieved by a violation of the District's home improvement business laws and regulations.
The bond is written for the license year. The form recites that the home improvement business regulations require the execution and filing of a bond for a license year ending not more than two years from the effective date of the bond. The obligation is void if the Principal observes and complies with the Acts of Congress approved July 1, 1932 (47 Stat. 550, as amended) and September 6, 1960 (74 Stat. 815), and the Home Improvement Business Regulations and their amendments, and pays all damages caused to any person by a violation of those acts and regulations while carrying on the licensed business. Otherwise it stays in force.
The form carries a fixed penal sum printed on it, so no amount is entered. It collects the bond number, the Principal's name as it appears on the license application, the officers' names, the business location, the name and address of the bonding company, the signing and effective dates, and the signatures, witnesses and seals. The Surety must be a corporation authorized to do business in the District of Columbia.
Who needs to file Home Improvement Surety Bond (Fillable) – Washington, DC?
A business that desires to engage in the home improvement business in the District of Columbia is the Principal on this bond. The form describes it as a sole proprietor with a trade name, or a corporation or LLC, named exactly as it appears on the license application, together with the owners, partners or officers.
The bond is completed together with a bonding company that is a corporation authorized to do business in the District of Columbia. The Surety acts through an attorney-in-fact, who signs and seals for the bonding company.
Several people sign the bond:
- one of the officers, owners or partners signs for the Principal, and a corporate seal is used where applicable;
- two witnesses sign;
- the Secretary attests, as the form provides;
- the attorney-in-fact signs for the Surety.
The form does not describe any other use. It is not a license application and does not replace one; it refers to the license application only for the way the Principal's name must appear.
When to file Home Improvement Surety Bond (Fillable) – Washington, DC
The bond is executed and filed when a home improvement business seeks its license: the form states that the home improvement business regulations require the execution and filing of a bond for the license year. The license year it covers ends not more than two years from the effective date of the bond, and you enter that effective date on the form. The form sets no separate calendar deadline. Because the bond must be in place for the license year, have it signed by the Principal, the witnesses and the bonding company's attorney-in-fact before the license application is completed; ask DLCP at (202) 671-4500 about timing for your specific application.
Documents you need
- Proof of the authority of the executing officers, or of the attorney-in-fact for the surety, attached to the bond; the form states this authority must be attached.
How to fill out Home Improvement Surety Bond (Fillable) – Washington, DC
Enter the bond number
Write the number of the bond in the BOND NUMBER line at the top of the form.
Name the Principal
In the "we" line, enter the sole proprietor and trade name, or the corporation or LLC, exactly as it appears on the license application.
List owners, partners or officers
On the Officer(s) Name(s) line, enter the names of the owners, partners, or officers if the business is a corporation or LLC.
Give the business location
On the "doing business at" line, enter the location of the business.
Identify the bonding company
On the "as Principal, and" line, enter the name and address of the bonding company, which must be a corporation authorized to do business in the District of Columbia.
Fill in the signing and effective dates
Enter the day, month and year in the "Signed and sealed" line, then the effective date of the bond in the blank that follows and the year.
Add witnesses and Principal signatures
Have two witnesses sign lines (1) and (2). Then the President, Owner or Partner signs, and one of those officers signs as Principal, with the corporate seal where applicable.
Complete attestation and surety signature
The Secretary signs the Attest by Secretary line, and the attorney-in-fact signs the Attorney-in-Fact line and affixes the seal.
Attach proof of authority
Attach the authority of the executing officers or of the attorney-in-fact for the surety. Seal and initial any erasure, correction or alteration by the attorney-in-fact.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check every name against the license application, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and collect the required signatures and seals before filing.
How to submit Home Improvement Surety Bond (Fillable) – Washington, DC
The bond form prints no filing channel of its own. Its footer gives the issuing agency's contact details: DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, 1100 4th Street, SW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20024, telephone (202) 671-4500, and the website dlcp.dc.gov.
- Before filing: make sure the completed bond is signed by the Principal, two witnesses and the Surety's attorney-in-fact, and that it carries the required seals and the attached proof of authority.
- Where and how to file: confirm the filing method for your license application with DLCP at the address, phone number or website above.
Authority of the executing officers, or of the attorney-in-fact for the surety, must be attached to the bond. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels DLCP gives you.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Entering the business name differently from the license application; the form asks for the sole proprietor and trade name, or the corporation/LLC, as they appear on the license application.
- Leaving out the owners, partners or officers' names in the Officer(s) Name(s) line.
- Submitting the bond without the authority of the executing officers or the surety's attorney-in-fact attached.
- Making erasures, corrections or alterations that are not sealed and initialed by the attorney-in-fact.
- Signing without two witnesses; the form is signed in the presence of two witnesses.
- Using a bonding company that is not a corporation authorized to do business in the District of Columbia.
- Choosing an effective date that leaves a license year ending more than two years after it; the bond covers a license year ending not more than two years from the effective date.
- Omitting the bond number or the Secretary's attestation where the form calls for them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Home Improvement Surety Bond?
It is a bond form from the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection in which a home improvement business and a bonding company bind themselves to the District of Columbia and to anyone aggrieved by a violation of the District's home improvement laws and regulations.
Does this bond have anything to do with a DC business license?
Yes, for home improvement work. The form states that the home improvement business regulations require a bond to be executed and filed for the license year, and it asks for the Principal's name as it appears on the license application.
Who signs the Home Improvement Surety Bond?
One of the owners, partners or officers signs for the Principal, two witnesses sign, the Secretary attests, and the attorney-in-fact signs and seals for the bonding company. The corporate seal is used where applicable.
How long does the bond last?
It is written for the license year, and that year ends not more than two years from the effective date entered on the form. The effective date is a blank you fill in beside the signing date.
What must be attached to the bond?
The authority of the executing officers, or of the attorney-in-fact for the surety, must be attached. Any erasure, correction or alteration must be sealed and initialed by the attorney-in-fact.
Can I fill out the Home Improvement Surety Bond online?
You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. The signatures, witnesses and seals the form requires still have to be added, and FillingPDF does not file the bond with DLCP; you file it through DLCP's channels.
Where do I get help with filing the bond?
Contact DLCP at 1100 4th Street, SW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20024, by phone at (202) 671-4500, or at dlcp.dc.gov. The form prints these details and names no other filing channel.
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