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Home Improvement Contract Tips
Many a soul has hired a contractor to do
repairs or improvements on a home only to find something is fishy.
Here are some tips to avoid problems.
Home Improvement Contract Tips
Hiring a contractor to do work on your home is not always as easy as
it sounds. Many people call themselves contractors, but really are
not. The first step to avoiding problems is to make sure you hire
someone with who is actually licensed as a contractor. If you
subsequently have problems, you can contact the licensing board to
raise a dispute.
Most contractors are ethical, honest people and businesses. There
are, however, others who are not. These individuals assume you do
not really know what is involved in the construction process. This
provides them with an opening to make substantially more profit.
While you might think this means they will overbid the project, it
does not. Most contractors believe you will pick the lowest price,
so they rarely run up their estimate. There are, however, two other
ways to boost profit.
The first thing unethical contractors will do is use low quality
supplies. As with anything you buy, there is a high quality and
lower quality version. While you may want the high quality version,
you may have a hard time determining if you received it. The
difference between high and low quality is often how long something
lasts, not how it appears. The way to beat this problem is to
specify the exact brand, size and part number [if possible] in your
contract. Doing so accomplishes two things. First, it puts the
contractor on notice that you know how the process works. Second,
you can always resort to legal action if you later find the correct
materials were not used. Since you have everything in writing, the
contractor has little defense.
A second unethical tactic is the bait and switch. In this process,
the contractor gives you a bid price that can’t possibly cover the
project. You think you are getting a deal, but the contractor starts
coming to you after the project has started requesting more money.
The contractor refuses to continue work if you do not pony up. In
this situation, the best defense is again to have everything in
writing in the project contract. Make sure to include an attorney’s
fee clause in it. If the contractor tries this tactic, you should
contact an attorney. The attorney will set the contractor straight.
If the contract refuses to finish the job, you will probably be told
by the attorney to hire a new contractor while he sues the unethical
one. Since an attorney’s fee clause is included in the agreement,
you should end up paying no legal fees. This is not the best
situation, but it beats getting scammed.
In general, the best way to find a contractor is to ask for
referrals from trusted friends. Next, get everything in writing.
With these two steps, you should avoid any major problems.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
a great selection online at the lowest prices anywhere. We can also be
found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube