Why You Should Hire a Licensed and Insured Contractor

You have probably heard a few horror stories about homeowners that worked with terrible contractors. You shouldn’t let them deter you from hiring an experienced and honest professional the next time you need to remodel your home. You’ll rarely encounter serious problems if you verify they are properly licensed and insured.

M.G.L c. 142A is the code that requires all Massachusetts contractors to be licensed. You will want to check with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation to confirm that they have the proper licenses before hiring them.

Why is it important to choose a licensed and insured contractor?

Making sure that your contractor is licensed and insured before hiring them will save you a lot of grief down the road. Here are some reasons that licensure is so important.

Save Money Redoing their Work

The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs in Business Regulation requires contractors to meet strict eligibility criteria before receiving a license. Therefore, you can depend on a licensed contractor to deliver high-quality work.

Unlicensed contractors can’t guarantee the same quality. One homeowner paid $120,000 to a contractor over the course of 15 years, only to find out that the work was substandard and needed to be redone.

While the generally allows you to collect restitution for work done by unlicensed professionals, some unscrupulous professionals will leave after the work is done and you may never be able to collect. Others may not have the money to repay you.

Receive the Insurance Coverage

While licensed contractors are less likely to create problems, they are still human and occasionally make mistakes. Fortunately, licensed contractors almost always have adequate insurance in case anything goes awry.

However, M.G.L c. 142A  doesn’t require them to be insured, so it’s important to verify first. You’ll sleep easier knowing any possible damages will be covered.

Work Trustworthiness

Trust is very important when working with any professional and contractors are no exception. Contractors that work without a license are much more difficult to trust. Since they are already openly late breaking the law, they may also try to scam you in some other way. On the other hand, licensed contractors are closely monitored by the office of consumer affairs and building regulations. Very few will take the risk of losing their license by exploiting their customers.