How to do background checks on contractors

How To Do A Background Check On Contractors

There are many ways to check the background of contractors. Sometimes a background check may not be warranted due to you watching your neighbors job being done and you received a great review from the neighbor and they show you that background check info that they received. But having said that, the ball will be in your court when you get ready to hire.

It is well known that most contractors are great people that work hard just as you do. It is also known that a good contractor with nothing to hide will not be upset if you tell them that you need to background check them and their license. If fact, they would encourage to weed out the unscrupulous, unlicensed people that ruin their industry and underbid them.

4 Important Ways To Background Check A Contractor

The first item to consider is to check their contractors license

Always be sure that you check their license number and cross check it with the contractors name. Be sure that he is not using the license number of a relative or friend or an expired license. Always make a copy of their drivers license to compare it with. Ask to see their contractors license pocket card as well and make a copy of that.

Check the Megan’s Law web site

Don’t let a child molester or sex offender into your home! This is a very important check. It is good to get a list of their subcontractors as well and check them out. Check everyone that will come into your home. This will take time, but trust is earned.

Local court websites

Most courts now have all public records available via their websites. You can go online and check our the person that you are going to hire to see if they have any warrants out for their arrest, pending or past law suits or arrests on file. This can be very valuable information.

References

Ask the contractor for references of some of his latest projects. Ask for references that the client will allow you to come and meet them and see the work the contractor did. Ask for a private meeting between you and the contractors client so that you will have the freedom to ask any questions you like without having the client feel pressured to watch his words.

A few days of checking could save you months of litigation

There are plenty of online companies that you can use to do a deeper and more thorough background check if you’d like… but having said that, you probably should not hire the contractor that you are checking if you have to go to that extent. Most good contractors will shine with just those three simple ways to check their background. You should get a good gut feeling after completing this.