ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Now that the storm has passed and you're getting a look at the damage in your home, don't let an unlicensed contractor take advantage of you.
Odds are you're going to see signs or people coming to your door offering their services. We spoke with the Better Business Bureau of West Florida about what you need to know before you hire anyone to work on your home.
Bryan Oglesby has a couple of tips to help you get the most out of your home repairs:
“Look for vehicles that are marked, you know who the company is. They have a license number on the vehicle. Do they have a license number on the paperwork? Take a minute to check these companies out. Go to bbb.org on your phone, even while you're speaking to them. Know who their name is, and research the name of that company. See if the Better Business Bureau has information on them. See what their track record is. Do they have complaints? If so, are they responsive to their complaints? What is their rating based on previous customer experience?”
You can see on the BBB's website what types of experiences other customers have had with certain contractors following a storm and how they addressed them whether they're BBB accredited or not.
You're also going to want to look up that license number on the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation’s website for things like plumbing, electrical and roofing repairs. Just search by the name or the license number and then you can click on view license complaint in the bottom left of the licensee’s details to see any complaints.
“Utilize social media, utilize the tools at your disposal to be aware there's a lot of information out there. Follow pages in your community, a lot of like-minded individuals like yourself are posting information,” Oglesby said.
Homeowners should shop around. The best way to figure out whether the quote that you’re getting is reasonable for the type of work is to gather multiple bids for the same work so you can compare.
Also, ask the contractor what their workload is like. You don't want to hire someone who is taking on too many projects or someone who is from out of town that's not going to follow through on the job.
“The more homework and research that you do to vet a contractor, to see if pricing is fair, is going to allow you to make an informed decision and make the right choices. If you're just responding to someone knocking on your door, going with the first price that's offered to you, handing cash up front, those are going to be the signs of not dealing with the right person, and you could be out lots of money and be dealing with problems in that case as well,” Oglesby said.
