A contractor working on your home in Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Rhode Island must be licensed by the state in which they are working. Yet time and time again we read “horror stories” about homeowners who hire a contractor and pay a big deposit, only to be scammed out of the money when the contractor disappears. Or else a project gets started but never finished, or is done so poorly that it must be redone at additional expense. Without a license number to track them, it is difficult for authorities to bring a scam artist to justice.
These “dirty” contractors give our entire industry a black eye. But one way to avoid the worst offenders is to insist on seeing a current, valid contractor’s license before you even open discussion about your window replacement project. While a state license does not necessarily guarantee quality work, a contractor who has swindled customers is likely to lose their license. So the license is one way to control a “bad apple” from taking advantage of other unsuspecting customers. Ask for the license!
Similarly, any contractor you hire to work on your home should have both workers’ compensation and liability insurance. If you hire a home improvement contractor without these insurance coverages and damage occurs to your home or property, YOU may be the one held responsible and made to pay for repairs, which your homeowners insurance may not cover.
Worse, if a contractor or one of their workers is injured on your property and there is no workers’ compensation insurance in place, you may open yourself up to an expensive personal injury lawsuit. Not what you had in mind when you decided to improve the looks of your home!
Make sure you obtain an insurance certificate that proves up-to-date insurance coverage (both liability and workers’ compensation) from any window replacement company you consider. Don’t trust a photocopy – ask the contractor to have the insurance company send proof of current coverage directly to you.
At Rescom Exteriors, we are fully licensed for all states in which we work, and carry full workers’ compensation and liability insurance to cover all potential instances. If that’s the kind of peace of mind you want, call us at (866) 410-5884 to schedule a free, no obligation in-home demonstration and estimate for window replacement.