We would rather you check us properly than take our word for it. Here is exactly what to ask any contractor in this state, including us.
1. Home Improvement Contractor registration
Almost all residential work in Massachusetts requires the contractor to be registered as a Home Improvement Contractor. Ask for the registration number and verify it with the state's Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. A registration number that is not offered immediately is a bad sign.
Our registration is MA HIC #216267. Verify it, and verify anyone else you are considering.
2. A current certificate of insurance
Ask for the certificate itself, not a statement that they are insured. It should show general liability, and workers compensation if they have employees. If someone is hurt on your property and the contractor has no coverage, that becomes your problem.
3. The contract has to be written
For most residential projects over a small threshold, Massachusetts requires a written contract with the contractor's name, address and registration number, a description of the work, the total price, and a payment schedule. Verbal agreements leave you with very little.
4. Watch the deposit
State law limits the up-front deposit on most home improvement contracts. A contractor asking for half the job before materials are ordered is asking you to finance their business. That is not how legitimate operations run.
5. Ask for local references, then call them
Not a page of testimonials. Names and numbers of homeowners in your area whose projects finished in the last year. Ask them one question in particular: what happened when something went wrong? Every job has a problem. What matters is what the contractor did about it.
6. Compare the scope, not the number
The cheapest quote is often the one that leaves the most out. Before you compare prices, make sure every quote covers the same work: the same repairs, the same disposal, the same trim, the same permits. Very often the gap disappears once the scopes match.
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