Having your home repaired is just part of home ownership. If you own a house, you will undoubtedly have to fix something at some point. Pipes break, air conditioners and heaters get old, and appliances fall apart. Unless you are a handyman, you will most likely have to hire a contractor to do some work at some point. While many contractors out there are great, every once in awhile, you’ll come across a major scam. The contractor doesn’t do what they say they will or they take the money and run. Here are a few tips to avoid home repair problems.
References – When a contractor comes to give you an estimate, the best thing you can do is ask for references. References allow you to check up on the contractor and see what they’ve done in the past. If they don’t have any references, you can pretty much forget about them as a repair man. If they can not supply you with someone that they have done work for in the past, there’s a good chance that they don’t know what they are doing. They are planning on doing a terrible job for you or taking your money and walking with it.
Check out local review sites on the web. Simply do a search for the repair you need, followed by your city and the word review. Here’s an example of the search term: “plumber Boise reviews”. You might also get a list of contractors and search their name on the web for reviews as well.
Don’t pay for the total repair in advance – When a contractor asks for the complete payment upfront be prepared to walk away. A 50% deposit is reasonable, to pay for supplies. Some jobs are mostly labor, and materials are only a small part of the cost.
You should not expect to have brand new windows installed and not pay anything in advance. The company will be out some money until you pay them for the material. However, in those situations, you can pay for the material and save the part for the labor. This will keep the relationship between you and them on a positive note and still hold them accountable to do a good job for you. If you give a contractor the entire amount upfront, what’s to keep them from taking your money and running away with it. Don’t make this mistake and keep a tight hold on the checkbook.
Ask about licensing – Depending on what type of repair you are having done, the contractor will probably need to be certified or licensed to do the work. Even if the law does not require that they be licensed, you can check to see if they are a member of their industry’s trade association.