Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) issued over 80 stop work orders and revoked the license of a newly established contracting company, Elegance Group LLC, after determining that its leadership created the business to evade penalties. This action, taken on February 19, 2024, follows a suspension notice sent to Expert Builders, which was accused of falsifying engineering reports.
Eight days after receiving the suspension notice, the leaders of Expert Builders applied for a new license under the name Elegance Group LLC. Investigations revealed that work continued on projects associated with Expert Builders, employing the same staff and leadership, despite the suspension. The L&I found this operation to be illegal, leading to a unanimous decision by the Board of Licenses and Inspection Review to revoke the license of the newly formed entity.
On February 24, 2024, stop work orders were issued for numerous active projects, primarily located in North Philadelphia, as reported by the contracting platform BuildZoom. Attempts to contact Elegance Group for comments were unsuccessful, and L&I representatives did not provide timely responses to inquiries.
“Public safety is our top priority,” stated Basil Merenda, commissioner of L&I’s inspections, safety and compliance unit. “When contractors operate outside the law and risk the well-being of workers and residents, L&I ISC will act swiftly and decisively.”
The issues surrounding Elegance Group are not isolated. In August 2023, the company was implicated in the collapse of a wall in the home of an 86-year-old woman in North Philadelphia while it was constructing a house nearby. The incident was severe enough that the city mandated the demolition of the woman’s home, resulting in the issuance of ten violations against the contractors for utilizing unlicensed and suspended workers on-site.
Despite these complications, Elegance Group continued to receive permit approvals from the city, accumulating over 100 violations and incurring more than $20,000 in fines, according to reports from NBC10.
Property owners affected by the recent stop work orders can reach out to L&I’s audits and investigations unit for further assistance. They may contact the unit via email at [email protected] or by calling 215-686-2616 for guidance on the next steps to take.
