Taking a few moments to read this article could save you both money and frustration by avoiding a bad contracting experience.
Here are ten deadly questions that will help you quickly separate the faithful contractors from the ones you want to stay away from.
Feared Question #1 – “Do you have insurance?”
Painting contractors should possess two types of insurance:
1) Comprehensive Business Liability, which protects your property from damage by the contractor. A million dollar limit in liability coverage is probably the minimum any painting contractor should be carrying.
2) Workmen’s Compensation, which protects the workers and you (from liability), while they are working on your property. Workmen’s compensation is very costly, so many painting contractors will try to work without it.
As a consumer, you should never consider working with a contractor that does not have these insurances in place. If you’re not sure about the validity of a contractor’s insurance, call the insurance carrier and confirm it is a current, active policy. You can also check the status online at www.csib.ca.gov
The Smoke and Mirror Tricks
You have a right to confirm a contractor’s insurance before you hire them. Contractors without insurance may pull the following tricks:
1) Just tell you that they are insured, hoping you won’t pursue it further.
2) Changing the dates on an expired policy (contractor policies are for one-year terms)
3) Try to pass off their auto or health insurance as being “insured.”
Be especially careful of contractors without workmen’s compensation. It is expensive, and many contractors will attempt to trick customers into thinking they have it, or they don’t need it for some reason. Don’t be fooled.
Feared Question #2 – “Should I be concerned with your crew in my home?”
This feared question gets to the heart of who will be performing work in your home and whether your home and belongings will be safe. Sadly, there have been numerous documented cases around the country where employees of a hired contractor have burglarized, injured, or even killed the homeowner. What’s worse, in most cases it was later found that the bad employee had a criminal background that was unknown to the employer. In learning about who will be performing the work in your home, you should ask additional questions about their hiring policy and whether they conduct criminal background checks.
The Smoke and Mirror Tricks
Contractors can tell you they have worked with everyone on their crew for the last 42 years, but how do you really know? Dig deeper to see if they can provide information to back up their claims:
1) Ask for the name of the company that provides the background check services.
2 Ask to see examples of the reports they provide.
If they can’t provide answers (or the answers sound suspicious), it’s best to avoid that contractor.
Feared Question #3 – “Are the workers on my project employees or subcontractors?”
Many painting contractors will use subcontractors instead of hiring employees because it will lower their costs. Subcontractors are typically paid a flat fee, and the contractor also does not have to pay for social security taxes and employee benefits. However, you put yourself at risk when you hire a contractor who uses subcontractors:
1) The contractor may be tempted to find subcontractors offering the lowest possible fee so they can make more money on the job. This can translate into low quality of work.
2) The contractor may not know the people on the crew, which makes it likely that background checks have not been performed.
3) Since the subcontractor gets a fixed fee and is not paid hourly, they may be tempted to cut corners to get the job done quicker.
4) If the contractor uses subcontractors and not employees, it increases the probability that they do not have workmen’s compensation insurance.
All of these scenarios can impact the quality of work you get as well as the safety of your home and belongings. For this reason, it is better to hire a contractor whose workers are true employees.
The Smoke and Mirror Tricks
The big trick is calling subcontracted guys “employees” and hoping homeowners will never find out the difference. To protect yourself you can ask further questions such as:
1) Can I see a sample of an employee’s check stub?
2) Who does payroll for your business?
Feared Question #4 – “What kind of materials do you use?”
You have a right to confirm a contractor’s insurance before you hire them. Contractors without insurance may pull the following tricks:
1) Just tell you that they are insured, hoping you won’t pursue it further.
2) Changing the dates on an expired policy (contractor policies are for one-year terms)
3) Try to pass off their auto or health insurance as being “insured.”
Be especially careful of contractors without workmen’s compensation. It is expensive, and many contractors will attempt to trick customers into thinking they have it, or they don’t need it for some reason. Don’t be fooled.
Feared Question #2 – “Should I be concerned with your crew in my home?”
This feared question gets to the heart of who will be performing work in your home and whether your home and belongings will be safe. Sadly, there have been numerous documented cases around the country where employees of a hired contractor have burglarized, injured, or even killed the homeowner. What’s worse, in most cases it was later found that the bad employee had a criminal background that was unknown to the employer. In learning about who will be performing the work in your home, you should ask additional questions about their hiring policy and whether they conduct criminal background checks.
The Smoke and Mirror Tricks
Contractors can tell you they have worked with everyone on their crew for the last 42 years, but how do you really know? Dig deeper to see if they can provide information to back up their claims:
1) Ask for the name of the company that provides the background check services.
2 Ask to see examples of the reports they provide.
If they can’t provide answers (or the answers sound suspicious), it’s best to avoid that contractor.
Feared Question #3 – “Are the workers on my project employees or subcontractors?”
Many painting contractors will use subcontractors instead of hiring employees because it will lower their costs. Subcontractors are typically paid a flat fee, and the contractor also does not have to pay for social security taxes and employee benefits. However, you put yourself at risk when you hire a contractor who uses subcontractors:
1) The contractor may be tempted to find subcontractors offering the lowest possible fee so they can make more money on the job. This can translate into low quality of work.
2) The contractor may not know the people on the crew, which makes it likely that background checks have not been performed.
3) Since the subcontractor gets a fixed fee and is not paid hourly, they may be tempted to cut corners to get the job done quicker.
4) If the contractor uses subcontractors and not employees, it increases the probability that they do not have workmen’s compensation insurance.
All of these scenarios can impact the quality of work you get as well as the safety of your home and belongings. For this reason, it is better to hire a contractor whose workers are true employees.
The Smoke and Mirror Tricks
The big trick is calling subcontracted guys “employees” and hoping homeowners will never find out the difference. To protect yourself you can ask further questions such as:
1) Can I see a sample of an employee’s check stub?
2) Who does payroll for your business?
Feared Question #4 – “What kind of materials do you use?”
Source: https://www.allbrightpainting.com/blog/10-questions-to-ask-a-painting-contractor/
