As of March 1, it’s officially illegal for anyone to randomly knock on your door and try to sell you things, that includes those pesky people selling water heaters, furnaces, water filtration systems and the like.

The ban on unsolicited door-to-door sales comes after the government’s consumer protection officials were flooded with complaints about salespeople showing up uninvited to homes and using questionable sales methods to sell unneeded stuff, especially to the elderly.

Now salespeople can only sign contracts within a person’s home if said salesperson contacted them ahead of time and they were invited into the home for the purpose of signing a contract.

The new rules apply to the following:

Air cleaners

Air conditioners

Air purifiers

Duct cleaning services

Furnaces

Water filters

Water heaters

Water purifiers

Water softeners

Water treatment devices

Any contracts signed that violate the new rules regarding door-to-door solicitation will be considered null and void and consumers will be able to keep the associated goods and services without any obligation on their part to pay.

Individuals caught selling products door-to-door can be charged up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 after a second offense and $2,000 after the third. Corporations will face fines of up to $250,000.

The new rules don’t apply to telecommunications companies, home maintenance services or charities.

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