How to Find Out if Your Contractor is Lying
As licensed Santa Maria contractors for more than twenty five years, we have seen first hand what the results are when a person doesn’t make sure the contractor they choose to work with is licensed .
Hiring an unlicensed contractor is a huge mistake! Unfortunately, all contractors aren’t honest about whether or not they are actually licensed. And worst of all is that by the time a person finds out their contractor isn’t trully licensed, their house is already demolished and they are stuck using the unlicensed contractor to finish what he started, even knowing he isn’t qualified to do the job!
Most people hiring a new contractor will at least ask “Are you a licensed contractor?” But this question is way too easy for a dishonest contractor to simply answer “yes” to, whether it’s actually the truth or not. In fact, I once knew a remodeling contractor who always replied “yes” to this question, even though the truth was that all he had was a city business license.
What a lot of people don’t realize , is that if your project totals over $500 , the California Contractor’s State License Board requires that the contractor be licensed. It’s really too bad, but unlicensed, unqualified “contractors” are as numerous as the sands of the seas and you’d be really surprised how many of them will flat out lie about whether they are or aren’t licensed. Here are a couple things you can do to make sure you aren’t hiring an unlicensed contractor:
1) Ask the right question! Ask this: “How long have you been a licensed contractor?” This question is more specific than the simple “yes/no” question listed above and will make it a bit more difficult for the “contractor” to be dishonest.
2) Visit the California Contractor’s State License Board website to check on the license status of the contractor being considered. There are lots of other great tips available at the CSLB website. Visit it at http://www.cslb.ca.gov.
*If you’re dealing with a salesman instead of an actual contractor himself, be sure to research the requirements of a “Home Improvement Salesman” on the CSLB website as well. Spending a little research time at the beginning of a project to make sure you are hiring the right contractor for your project will make a huge difference in the end. Get more tips like this one at our Santa Maria Contractors Buyers Guide.
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