Questions to ask a contractor before hiring

Ask for the contractor's license number, proof of insurance, a written estimate and a few recent customers you can call. Then ask who will do the work, when it will start and finish, and how payment is split. Put the answers in a written contract, and never pay the full price up front.

What questions should you ask a contractor before hiring?

Ask first for the facts you can check: the license number, proof of insurance, a written estimate and recent customers to call. Then ask about the facts you'll want in the contract, which are the crew, the dates, the payments, the permits, the cleanup and the warranty. Here are the ten questions in the order they usually come up.

What's your license number?
Can you send me proof of insurance?
Will you give me a written estimate that lists the work, the materials, the price and the finish date?
Can I call two or three recent customers who had the same kind of job?
Who will do the work, your own crew or subcontractors?
When will you start, and when will you finish?
How do you want to be paid, and how much is due before work starts?
Who pulls the permits?
How will you clean up, and who hauls away the debris?
Do you offer a warranty on your work, and will you put it in writing?

Which permits a job needs depends on your city or county, so if the answer to question 8 sounds wrong, call your local building department. The FTC says the written contract should include the contractor's name, address, phone number and license number. To check that license number, see how to check a contractor license by state, or check a contractor license in Oregon and Washington for those two states. If you don't have names yet, start with how to find a trusted contractor.

What are the red flags when hiring a contractor?

The FTC lists six warning signs of a home improvement scam. Be wary of a contractor who knocks on your door because they're "in the area," or who says they have materials left over from another job. The other four are pressure to decide right away, a request to pay for everything up front or in cash only, asking you to get the building permits, and suggesting you borrow from a lender they know.

Any one of these is a reason to slow down and get a second estimate. Two or more is a reason to walk away.

What questions should you ask a contractor reference?

Ask whether the job was like yours and whether it went the way the contractor said it would. Find out if it was the same kind of job and about the same size, and whether it finished on time and on budget. Then ask how the contractor handled changes or problems, and whether they'd hire the contractor again.

Ask your agent too. If they've sent other clients to this contractor, they may have heard how those jobs went, and that's a reference the contractor didn't choose for you.

What questions should you ask a roofer before hiring?

Ask a roofer the same questions as any contractor, plus who handles the permit and exactly what the written estimate includes. The same two questions matter for plumbers and HVAC companies. An estimate that doesn't say what's included is hard to compare with the next one.

If your home was built before 1978, ask any roofer, painter or remodeler whether the firm is EPA Lead-Safe certified. The EPA says "anyone paid to perform work that disturbs paint in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 must be certified in lead-safe work practices." You can look a firm up with the EPA's lead-safe firm search.

How can you tell if a contractor is ripping you off?

Watch how they ask for money. Estimates that are far apart with no explanation, a demand for the full price up front, a cash-only rule, or a request for the final payment before the work is done are all reasons to stop. The FTC says not to pay the full amount up front, and not to make the final payment until the work is done and you're satisfied with it.

If something goes wrong, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general, which you can find with the NAAG office lookup. Then tell your agent how the job went. This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with your local building department or your state attorney general.

Sources

Ask your agent who they would call

If your agent uses Proferral, nobody pays to be on their list, and your agent can check in with you about how the job went. Proferral doesn't check insurance, and its license checks cover Oregon and Washington only, so the questions above still apply. Here's how your agent's go-to list works.

Ask your agent for their list

Your agent sends you the link, and you open it on your phone without installing anything.