With spring comes the desire to spruce up your property, but it also brings out fraudsters looking to make a quick buck.

The Better Business Bureau is reminding homeowners to be careful and to do your research if someone approaches you to do some work under the table.

There have been repeated instances over the years of people scouring neighbourhoods and knocking on doors, promising to pave driveways or shingle roofs and seeking a payment up front, never to be seen again.

President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau, Julia Lewis, says getting and weighing a variety of quotes is also necessary to avoid throwing good money after bad.

She says in many cases, simply going for that cheapest quote is not always the best way to go, because it could result in work that is not satisfactory and needs to be done again.