How To Find Out if Your Contractor is Licensed
“contractor” “contractors”
Some of the biggest problems with contractors can be easily avoided by simply checking out the contractor first and making sure that you’re hiring a reputable, well established and professional contractor.
While most states license electrical and plumbing contractors, only 36 states have some type of licensing and registration statutes affecting contractors, remodelers, and/or specialty contractors. The licensing can range from simple registration to a detailed qualification process. Also, the licensing requirements in one locality may be different from the requirements in the rest of the state.
Check with your local building department or consumer protection agency to find out about licensing requirements in your area. If your state has licensing laws, ask to see the contractor’s license and make sure that it’s current.
Since not all states require licensing you may have no choice in hiring an unlicensed contractor. This can still work out if you know what you are doing and he knows what he’s doing. The license doesn’t necessarily mean you get expertise, but it does mean you get leverage. A contractor will right his wrongs to avoid losing his license.
You can also check out the contractor with your local consumer protection officials. They can tell you if there are any unresolved consumer complaints on file, however, even if there aren’t any complaints on record it doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t any previous problems. It may be that problems exist but haven’t been reported or another possibility could be that the contractor is doing business under several different names….but checking anyway doesn’t hurt.
If the contractor doesn’t have a phone number listed in the local telephone directory that might be a red flag and should definitely warrant further investigation. Reputable, well established contractors are usually at least listed in the phone directory and many also have websites as well although not having a website is NOT an indication that a contractor isn’t professional and well established but an unlisted phone is certainly questionable.
I found this really great contractor’s license reference site that is very useful: Contractors-License.org/
For any state that requires a contractor or tradesman to be licensed they will keep records of the license and this site has direct links to every state’s contractor’s licensing board. So you could easily call or go online and check out if a contractor is licensed or not.
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Great information there, I have always wondered the right way to go about this, thanks for showing me!
Some of them points are really straight forward but all too often you will over look them, such as the telephone one.
Great tips, thanks!
Whenever you’re out looking at potential contractors, ask for their contractors license number and verify with your state.gov for any outstanding fines, expired license and also to verify everything is legit and current. Also, verify with references, get at least 3.
I haven’t really put much thought to this, but now that we’re gathering data about how to build house we need to consider who we’re working with and if they’re licensed or not.
The contractors-license.org is definitely an easy to use tool. We use that occasionally when prescreening a company to be listed on our site.
i think it is important that you find a licensed contractor. they can be held responsible then and you want to have the best contractor doing work for you.
In GA, they just instituted a new law that requires all general contractors to have a special license. Its actually a very tough examination.
We already required electricians and plumbers to carry licenses. But, no other contractors require licensing. I have seen some really nightmarish scenarios. I have a love hate relationship with licensing. After all, there are plenty of good contractors out there and its a shame that a few bad apples have spoiled everything for everybody.
Excellent advice. Getting involved with an unlicensed contractor could cause some serious issues down the road when someone is going to sell their home. Most home inspectors are going to catch shoddy work that may have been done by a contractor who is unlicensed. I know Massachusetts has some of the stricter laws in place which is a good thing!
I would have to agree with many of the comments that have been made have a reliable person fixing ones house is of the greatest importance, one can’t have some Joe Soap fixing stuff can you imagine if something bad had to happen?? Great post thanks for sharing this important information, something for all to bare in mind.
Guys this is so important and should really not be over looked, when you doing work make sure you get someone that is a licensed contractor, you know yes its cheaper to get that old handy man to come and do the odds and ends, well this happened to me and well it was just a mess up the guy had no clue what he was doing and made things worse in the end I had to pay for him and 2 other people to fix the original problem and the problem the handyman had created as well.
Nice article, with sound advice.
This is definitely important to check licensing, and also see how much of a bond they have filed. Often this bond is relatively small, and if a contractor goes out of business, they may leave several customers going after this same, small bond. If you are truly concerned ask the contractor to post a longer bond. If they are a reputable company, they will.
As a painting contractor when I send an estimate I also send a link to show my Home Improvement Contractors License is without complaints and a link to BBB rating and testimonals.
Here in South Africa contractors usually are qualified artisans that have completed Trade Tests, but what happens a lot is that hey go into business for themselves and employ semi-skilled labour to actually execute the jobs they are charging a professional fee for. Now that I have issues with.
Hey craig that shouldn’t be legal if there not on site to supervise.
Best to post it on your website with link to the licensing office
post your license on your website it looks professional
Thanks for writing this. It was interesting. You seem very knowledgeable in your field.
Hiya!. Thanks for the info about contractor. I’ve been digging around looking some info up for school, but there is so much out there. Yahoo lead me here - good for you i suppose! Keep up the good work. I will be coming back over here in a couple of days to see if there is any more info.
Excellent advice on checking out contractors. Your advice will surely help many consumers. The web site to check them out on is a nice tip as well. I was aware of that site.
A recommendation from a friend is a great way to find a contractor, but its important to follow up with research and calling other references. A recommendation from a friend does not necessarily mean that THEY have done their homework.
Being in property management, before I will hire a new contractor to do repairs and such on any of my properties, I always ask to see a copy of their contractors license. Even if they are a referral from a fellow friend or real estate professional. That way I know that they are legit people and can be trusted.
You get what you pay for and in the long run if you use a contractor that is not lisenced you usally pay for it in the long run, check first before you hire.
The more facial hair. The better the contractor
Good article. Reputation is everything in this business.
The harder they work the better the contractor
LOL @Houston. That is a sure fire test that is sure to get the best results.
Excellent advice. I advise against any homeowner doing business with an unlicensed contractor. You will more than likely to experience problems if you do.
the hairy the contractor the better! LOL
I think I would ask for certification or some sort of reference before I would hire any contractor.
This is critical because it can compromise your house. Yes, we really have to know if he is licensed.
I’m sure there is a way you can check this. Ask to see their qualifications before you hire them.
One critical thing to remember when hiring a contractor that is not liscensed: If something happens to that contractor or any of his employees while doing work on your property, you could very well be liable for their injury. A licensed contractor normally carries insurance for such situations. Ask to see their insurance coverage.
Finding a good contractor can be tricky. We found one that had his company name on the side of his truck (we thought). He actually stole the name of a company 100 miles away that had an A rating with the BBB (we checked this before hiring him) and before finishing the work he took 1/2 our money and he was never to be seen from again.
You’ve made a lot of great points about choosing a contractor. I wouldn’t hire anyone who didn’t have one.
What you have shared are good points on how to get that right contractor most especially in these recent times. Hiring a contractor simply needs a meticulous process where you can assure that you’re really on a right track and avoiding hassles. I really admire your excellent advice!