Hiring someone with a contractor’s license is a surefire way to know that your desired job will go smoothly. A qualified general contractor should be licensed by the state of Arizona. For any job that extends beyond a thousand dollars, you should make sure that your contractor can show you his or her license.
That license should be specific to the type of work that the contractor is going to perform. If the contractor is planning on working on your plumbing, he or she should have a plumbing license.
The one thing people don’t tend to think about when hiring a licensed contractor is if they are insured or not. With that said, your contractor should be insured. This can protect you from having to pay in the case of an accident, such as your contractor falling off your roof or dropping a heavy tool on their foot.
Checking Insurance
While a contractor must possess a bond to be licensed, the ROC does not require that they have insurance beyond workman’s compensation. You’ll often see ads in Yellow Pages that say “bonded and insured”, though unfortunately that’s not always the case.
If you do find a contractor who can show you his or her legitimate insurance, there are a few questions that you should find the answers to:
- Does that insurance cover the workers or employees beneath the contractor?
- Does that insurance cover you or anyone else that visits your home if they are injured on the site where work is being done?
- Does that insurance cover accidents that involve the equipment of the contractor?
- Do all of the subcontractor that are working on the job have insurance and what is the status of their insurance policies?
Where To Find an Insured Contractor
The best way to find an insured contractor is by checking out reviews on the Better Business Bureau Website. The reason being is that contractors who apply for BBB accreditation must have all of their insurance requirements for any and all of the ways that they do business.
Yes, you will be spending quite a bit more to work with a contractor who has taken the time and effort to be insured, but if something happens on your property, you’ll be far deeper in the hole than if you just would’ve spent the extra cash to work with an insured contractor.
Why Go With An Insured Contractor
Insurance is the best way to get protection when hiring a contractor, though it’s not the only thing you must worry about. It’s not uncommon for negligence to be an issue and end up in court.
Obviously you won’t always be able to be in control of the worksite and of the safety of your workers, though you can be in control of certain things that could lead to accidents, such as leaving your junk in the middle of the worksite or tampering with worksite equipment.
Have you ever had a negative experience with a contractor who wasn’t insured? Let us know in the comments!