How do I check a contractor is legit?

The four checks

1. 1Look up the licence on the state licensing board site yourself. Do not accept a photograph of a card, and confirm the name on the licence matches the company you are about to pay.
2. 2Telephone the insurance agent listed on the certificate and confirm the policy is active and covers your type of work. Certificates are trivially faked.
3. 3Search the county clerk records for liens and suits against both the business name and the individual.
4. 4Ask for two addresses of jobs finished more than two years ago. Recent work looks good; problems show up in year two.

Why each one catches something different

• The licence check catches the person working under someone else qualifier, or with a licence in a different category from your job.
• The insurance call catches the lapsed policy, which is the one that leaves you liable for an injury on your property.
• The clerk search catches a pattern — one dispute is life, five is a business model.
• The old addresses catch workmanship that fails after a season or two, which no photograph will show you.

Then put the scope in writing

A verified contractor and a vague scope still produce an argument. Write down what is included, what is excluded, what the allowances are, and how changes get priced, before any money moves. Pair it with the payment terms in contractor wants 50% upfront.

The workers compensation exemption

Ask specifically whether the contractor carries workers compensation or holds an exemption, and whether their subcontractors do. An exemption is legal and common for a sole operator, and it also means an injury on your job can become your problem. Know which you are dealing with before the crew arrives.

If nobody is calling you back at all, that is a different problem with a different fix: why three contractors did not return your call.

What to ask the old references

• Did the job finish on the programme you were given, and if not, why?
• What went wrong, and how was it handled? Something always goes wrong.
• Were there change orders, and were they priced before the work or after?
• Has anything needed attention since, and did they come back?

The last one is the reason for asking about jobs finished two years ago rather than two months ago. Coming back is the part that separates a contractor from a crew.