If you are planning a home improvement project such as interior/exterior painting, plumbing repairs, window cleaning or even a construction cleanup project including a carpet cleaning service you will probably hire a contractor to complete the work for you. If you ask around you will surely be given advice and suggestions from family and friends regarding a friend of a friend who is an expert in painting or plumbing or clean up. While this may be true, and they may live up to all they proclaim to be, there are many dangers that you need to be aware of when you allow an unlicensed/uninsured self-appointed handyman or even an unlicensed/uninsured professional contractor into your home.
Liability Risks of Hiring an Unlicensed Contractor?
The bottom line, you put yourself at a tremendous financial disadvantage by allowing these handymen/contractors into your home or onto your property. And you may well be responsible for some or all of the following if the handyman/contractor has an accident and sustains an injury while working on your home:
• Medical bills
• Lawsuit brought against you by the injured parties
• Increase in homeowners insurance premiums
• Cancellation of insurance by the insurance company
It doesn’t matter what type of work the contractor/handyman is doing in your home, whether it is an entire home remodel or replacing a washer in a dripping tap, as the home owner you open yourself up to a significant amount of liability.
What are Other Risks of Hiring Unlicensed Contractors?
Licensing conveys a level of trust as well as professionalism but even more importantly, licensing can protect you from potential issues including:
• Uninsured Contractor: Typically, a contractor who is unlicensed is also uninsured. If a contractor damages your property in any way he has no way of reimbursing you for any damage that he may have caused essentially leaving you responsible to cover the cost of repairs or replacement. Or if the contractor damages or causes injury on your neighbor’s property, you may be held accountable for that damage along with the expense of replacement.
• Lack of Home Insurance Coverage: Many homeowners have no idea that by using an uninsured contractor they are putting themselves at risk. If the uninsured contractor injures themselves or causes damage in or around your home, the damage will not be covered by their homeowner’s policy. Many homeowners’ policies require that work on your home be performed by a licensed contractor with no exceptions.
• Poor Quality Workmanship: Not all work performed by unlicensed contractors is bad quality but as a general rule, if poor work is done, it’s usually done by unlicensed handyman/contractors. Keep in mind that unlicensed contractors are often untrained, inexperienced and unqualified to undertake certain types of work.
• Safety Hazards: If work in your home is not completed properly you could be at risk for dangerous consequences such as fires caused by improper wiring or structural damage caused by lack of training and shoddy workmanship.
Handyman Home Repairs & More in Wilshire/Montana, Pico, Mid-City, Ocean Park, Clover Park and Santa Monica, California
Al’s Handyman Service offers an extensive range of handyman and home repair services for both residential and commercial clients. We are licensed and insured for your complete protection so you can rest easy that work performed in your home will be finished to your complete satisfaction without the worry of poor quality work or the added of expenses of medical bills or unnecessary repairs. Call us today!