Helpful Questions to Ask When Hiring a Contractor

How long has your company been in business under the same name?

Unfortunately, some contractors change their company names frequently due to legal issues that they have with their clients. Be aware of those type of contractors. Make sure that they own the same company actively for at least 5 years.

Can you provide me with a copy of your current business insurance?

All credible contractors carry insurance with a sufficient coverage ($1,000,000 or more). Ask them to provide you with a copy of their business insurance (GLI) and make sure that the insurance is active and not expired.

Are your familiar with permit process? (where needed)

Once you ask this question, if the contractor pauses or tries not to give a direct answer to these questions then you should be careful.

How many projects you are working at this moment simultaneously?

If they prefer not to reply or say more than 4 projects (unless they are a large-scale contractor) you can be sure that your project will take at least double the time that it normally takes to finish, because those contractors will stretch their work force so thin that they will not be able to work at one project no more than 2 days per week.

How long do you think it will take to finish this project? Do you think there may be many change orders due to unexpected situations that might arise during this renovation project?

Make sure that they are realistic to set the goals and provide you with the information that is real and not the information that you want to hear.

Are you willing to provide financial references from suppliers?

This will show how reputable they are with their material vendors.

How long have you worked with your subcontractors?

If the general contractor is a good one, they will say that they have been working with them for at least a few years.