Hiring A Contractor
Weekly, my phone rings with calls from residents within our
community asking about contractors, checking on licenses,
asking for referrals and guidance. Needless to say there is no
shortage of contractor horror stories relating to both licensed
and unlicensed contractors. We are going to give a refresher
course today with helpful hints on how to protect you when
hiring a contractor.
Licensing is not necessarily a measure of competence, skill,
proficiency and ability. However, being licensed does involve
financial obligations to maintain a license along with the
appropriate insurance and bonding, all avenues of protection
for the homeowner. Many of our local licensed contractors
find themselves competing with unlicensed entities because
working outside of the regulation box costs a lot less, therefore
unlicensed entities are able to underbid jobs because they do
not pay taxes, they do not have proper insurance, they possibly
work out of their truck and they perform work outside the
scope of a qualified licensed contractor and in many cases the
workmanship is subpar.
While there are certainly honest and competent contractors in
our area, the industry is unfortunately plagued with con artists
and scams. It is essentially up to you to protect yourself when
hiring. Be diligent in your screening
process. Here are some red flags to
watch for:
materials.
Unsolicited phone calls. Although
some
reputable
contractors
market their services this way,
it is more often than not used by
unscrupulous companies. Be wary
of bargain prices and “contractors”
claiming they are doing a job in
your neighborhood and they have left over
No verifiable address or phone number. Be cautious of
business entities do not have an address or use a cell phone
number.
Business cards left on doors saying the “contractor” was in
the neighborhood and they noticed damage on your home
you and better our industry. The cost of buying and owning
a home is the biggest investment made by most of us in our
lifetime. In these economic times, there are many individuals
who try to hold themselves out as licensed contractors or
handymen performing outside their scope of work. Many
internet referral sources and marketing companies to not verify
license status, they leave it up to the consumer. YCCA walks
you through this verification and we will assist you whenever
you want to hire a contractor. You can trust our reviews.
Sandy Griffis, Executive Director
YAVAPAI COUNTY CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
810 E. Sheldon St., Bennett Oil Building Prescott
OFFICE: (928) 778-0040 • FAX: (928) 541-9882
www.ycca