Curbio to Pay $7.5 Million and Change its Business Practices
Home renovation company Curbio has settled a 2023 consumer protection lawsuit with the District of Columbia Attorney General. Curbio is required to pay $7.5 million and overhaul how it conducts business.
The lawsuit alleged that Curbio deceived Washington, D.C., homeowners, trapping them in contracts and performing overpriced, substandard work that took months or years longer to complete than promised. The company markets itself as a pre-sale home renovation firm that allows owners to defer payment until after their house is sold.
Under the terms of the settlement, Curbio must immediately pay $3.5 million in restitution and credits to more than 180 Washington, D.C., homeowners and pay an additional $4 million to the District. It also requires the company to eliminate “unconscionable contract provisions,” stop making misleading marketing claims, and make other changes to the way it does business.
“This is a significant win for nearly 200 D.C. homeowners who Curbio lured in with false promises of quick, high-quality renovations designed to increase sale prices, but who were then exploited, intimidated, and overcharged," said the Washington D.C. Attorney General, Brian L. Schwalb in a statement. "These homeowners will finally receive some compensation for the hardship they endured."
Curbio Responds
Curbio admits no wrongdoing in settling the suit, which it says contains “myriad baseless allegations.” The company issued a statement that reads, in part:
“Curbio denies any and all allegations in the complaint and denies that it has violated any law or engaged in any deceptive or unfair practices.”
“The decision to negotiate a settlement and forego our day in court was difficult. Ultimately, as the agreement states, we determined that the time and money we would spend over the next two years to clear our good name would be better spent doing what we do best: modernizing home improvement to make it more accessible, reliable, and successful for Realtors and home sellers.”
The company further stated that it had already made most of the marketing and contract changes agreed to in the months and years before the suit was filed and is happy the matter is resolved.
