Renting out a property
adds additional responsibility to the landlords, and that is none other than
offering proper maintenance for it. It is a real hurdle, as people are forced
to accept some contractors to complete the work, and in most cases, they would
not find a perfect time with the contractors as they fail to perform works as
landlords expected. Only in few situations, people can enjoy the services of
some great contractors. It should be noted that qualified, experienced, and
professionally-behaving contractors are removing the worries of landlords and
grabbing their confidence. By following few steps, people can screen the
contractors and find the right one among them for their property.
1. Pre-screen the Contractor
Whether it is over the
phone or in person, people should be ready to raise some questions to the
contractors in their first conversation. Every landlord should try to make a
judgment regarding the contractors on: are they responding well to the
questions and do they behave professionally? Also, people should get the
answers to the following questions.
- How many years of experience they have in the works?
- According to them, what is their best skill?
- What are the tasks they are not interested in performing with?
- What are the cities they cover with services?
- Number of employees working with the contractor
- Does the contractor pull the permits or the landlord should make it?
- After hiring, how long does the contractor need to start the work?
If it is meeting in
person, try to take a note of whether they are on time with the schedule? How
do they act?
2. Google the Contractors
Take out the contractor
name and search it in Google to find any negative reference. People should add
keywords like scam, sue, court, rip off, and evil to the contractor name and
try to locate any indication about any unlawful, unethical, or scandalous
business or acts in the past. Chances are there that people might encounter
some big red flags about the contractor, which is a clear warning for the
landlords.
Apart from Google, there
are websites like Criminal-Searches.com, where the contractor history and
little-known facts regarding the contractor are provided. If required, people
can also make a credit/background check about the contractor.
3. Ask for References
Ask the contractor to
provide references from the works completed in the past, including photos and
address. Try to contact the references and get information such as how fast is
the contractor completing the works? Are they keeping a clean job site? Did the
landlord face any issues with the contractor? Is the reference person
interested to hire them again?
People can also demand the
contractor to provide the details of a recent big work they performed and check
with the particular city to see whether they performed it by pulling the
permit.
4. Are they Licensed?
People should try to check
and verify that the contractors are licensed to complete the particular work
they are called for. If they are an electrician or plumber, ensure that they
are holding electrical license or plumbing license. In the case of a general
contractor, ask for their general contractor's license. Also, make sure that
they hold the bond and proper insurance as both can protect the landlord from
losses.
5. Employ them for a Small Task
It is a strategy that can
be applied before hiring the contractor for a larger work. Give them a small
job that costs less than $1,000 and see how perfectly are they completing it,
and is the task being completed within the schedule? If they are providing a
satisfying service, the landlords can depend on them for future works. If not,
test with multiple contractors and choose the right one who provides quality
service with consistency.
