Part 2 of “Painting Contractors: How to make the right choice”.
Is the Contractor Insured and Licensed?
In my previous blog post, “Painting Contractors: How to make the right choice“, I covered some of the tips and tricks from my booklet, CONTRACTOR SECRETS REVEALED In this post I’ll cover a few more tips designed to protect you and save you money.
Once you’ve confirmed that the contractor’s business is well established (he has a permanent address and a healthy attitude toward his own appearance and the appearance of his business and vehicle) the next step is to confirm that the contractor carries insurance, is licensed and is a member of a trade association.
Unfortunately I hear too many stories of homeowners who have been financially harmed by uninsured (or inadequately insured) contractors. A contractor should be able to provide you with a Certificate of Insurance for Comprehensive Liability and Worker’s Compensation that will ultimately protect you in the event of an accident, or to provide coverage for a failed project.
I hate to be the one to break this to you, but in the event of such a calamity, Mike Holmes isn’t going to jump out from behind a bush to offer you his help. You have to ensure that you are covered from the get-go. If you are serious about hiring someone to paint your home, ask to see the insurance policy, then check the dates to make sure that it’s current!
Next, ask the contractor for his Safety Plan, then check with the Worker’s Compensation Board to confirm that it is valid. If you go to their website, www.worksafebc.com, you can get a clearance letter for your contractor.
The next order of business?
Although I advise anyone to reject an unlicensed contractor, I have to admit that license requirements in Vancouver are minimal and poorly enforced. So a better way to test the contractor’s commitment to his trade is to see if he is a member of a trade association. Simply call the association and find out if he is a registered member and if he is taking any continuing education training. Here are some local professional trade associations:
Painters PDCA http://www.pdca.org/
Roofers RCABC http://www.rcabc.org/
Renovations GVHBA http://www.gvhba.org/
Remember: if you ask a contractor if he carries insurance, is licensed and/or is a member of a trade association and he blows off your questions as being unimportant - blow him off! If he deems your questions as being unimportant, he will likely consider your satisfaction as being unimportant too. You want a professional.
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Besides the fact that the company has good standings with various boards and has insurance is also important just to make sure that he is still currently doing good work. It’s recommended that the homeowner should ask for references from the last few jobs the painter did to ensure he is still up to his standards and yours.
Yeah I agree with what the previous poster said. References and reputation I think are really the most important things to look for.
A serious contractor will go out of his way to protect his reputation.
really a informative post and a lot to learn ..:-)
It’s not easy to find contractors nowadays. Especially when we are dealing with big investments. This post really helped me a lot to figure out on how to start with the renovation of my old house.
well, that’s a good way to put it. nice work, great for clientele explanation and information resource option.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
painting burnaby
You can actually trust contractors who are not afraid to advertise their company publicly. Just like All American Painting, they have website to show to their costumers.