How to hire a contractor who won't take your money and vanish
Five sections. Five minutes. The questions and checks that filter out every bad contractor before you sign anything — the ones that seasoned remodelers use and first-time homeowners don't know to ask. Built from real complaint data so the advice matches what actually goes wrong.
Insurance first: read the COI, don't just ask
A genuine Certificate of Insurance (COI) names the contractor's insurer, policy number, coverage amounts (general liability and workers' compensation separately), and effective dates — and it comes from the insurance agent, not the contractor's printer. Call the agent shown on the COI before work starts: 90 seconds. Ask specifically whether the policy is current TODAY. A photo of a business card or a binder cover proves nothing — this single step eliminates the “uninsured injury on your property” nightmare that dominates homeowner complaints.
Licenses are different by trade — verify what's actually required
General contractors, plumbers, and electricians almost always need state licenses; painters, landscapers, and handymen it's mixed by state. License numbers verify in under 2 minutes on the public state registry (or TDLR in Texas, CSLB in California). Novice 'I don't need a license' answers about electrical or plumbing work are disqualifiers — those trades are licensed everywhere. Full landscaping and painting are not licensing-protected in most markets; the pro's price guide reference and their insurance matter more there.
The 4 red flags in every bad quote
1) Vague line items — 'repairs' with no scope. 2) Pressure to sign today or the price expires. 3) No sequence: prep, repair, finish, cleanup, warranty — a real quote breaks work into those stages. 4) More than one-third of the total job cost requested before start. If all four are present, walk. And get the quote in writing — text message counts, verbal doesn't.
Reading reviews for the detail, not the stars
A 5-star average with 3 reviews tells you nothing; a 4.6 average with 312 reviews tells you everything. Read the most recent three-star reviews — those are where the honest 'pattern' complaints live: showed up but left muddy, passed their number of days on site, caught delays early. Look for homeowners responding to contractor replies: that interaction quality tells you how disputes get handled after you sign.
The one-page contract non-negotiable
Every quote you accept needs a written scope of work, start and completion dates, materials list (or a materials allowance), cleanup responsibility, and warranty terms ('one year workmanship' beats 'warranty included'). A cash-discount offer is legal in most states but makes every complaint harder to pursue — pay by card or check so the record exists. Any pro who refuses this page isn't afraid of paperwork; they're afraid of being accountable.
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