Let me just say that I believe that people will do anything to feed their families, and rightly so. On that note, you should protect your family and your home by hiring properly licensed/ bonded contractors.
There have been several situations as of late that a customer hired a contractor (handyman) without checking their license status. The contractor got injured while performing work and filed an injury with Labor & Industries. That is when the homeowner received the bad news. The homeowner was responsible for the injured contractor because either he was not licensed/ bonded/ insured or the contractor let it lapse because of cost. Whatever the reason, the homeowner gets the bill because in L&I's mind, the homeowner is now the general contractor.
This situation is easily remedied with a few questions during the initial meeting with the contractor.
1. Are you licensed/ bonded/ insured?
2. If "yes". May I see your license and proof of insurance? (I know, it makes you sound like the police)
3. Inspect their documents and check valid dates.
IMPORTANT: If the answer is "NO" to any of the above questions, politely ask them to leave and find another contractor.
If you fail to ask the above questions, then another good telltale sign of unlicensed/ uninsured contractors is the bid price for the work. If their price is around half of the other bids you receive, check on their status before they perform ANY work.
Another good tip for avoiding bad contractors: The good ones do not need a big down payment on a job to get materials!
The good contractors pay their bills on time and have enough credit at the wholesalers to not prepay for materials.
