I had a call from a Realtor in Carefree whom I have known for many years. He asked me if I was
familiar with a "builder" (I use that term
loosely) who a client of his had hired to complete a major interior remodel on a house they had recently purchased. The homeowner had paid a substantial deposit to the
builder and he had started the demolition, but then hadn't returned to complete the work. It had been many weeks and the homeowner was getting nervous.
I didn't know who the individual was, but I was now curious. Within five
minutes I was able to determine that the individual was not a licensed contractor in Arizona, had filed for bankruptcy in recent years, had been a defendant in a defamation suit which he lost and
hadn't pulled any building permits from the Town of Carefree for the work that he was supposed to be doing.
I write this post today because it would have been very simple to
disqualify this individual for the project with some simple due
diligence. All of which can be done from your web browser. But it is only simple if you know what to look for. If you are not
familiar with Arizona Contracting laws, you should start with some basics....
1. If you hire a contractor to do work on your home and if the total amount you pay the contractor exceeds $ 750 (for both labor and material), the contractor must be
licensed with the State of Arizona. If you hire someone who is not licensed, the contractor is breaking the law. The home owner also
doesn't have any recourse with the registrar of contractors if the individual is not licensed.
2. Check the Arizona Registrar of Contractors website to determine their license status.
http://www.azroc.gov/ You should check the following items:
A. Is the
license valid? There is a date stamp on the website that will provide time and day.
B. Is the person you are dealing with listed on the license? There have been many examples of unlicensed contractors using someone
else's license information. Verify that the license information is
accurate.
C. If the
license is valid and you know you are dealing with the correct company, does that company have any active or resolved complaints against their license? If there is any complaint history you need to have a complete understanding on why the complaints exist. You need to go to the trouble of talking with the filer of the complaint to determine why they filed the complaint and what the outcome was. It is my opinion that any complaint against a contractors license is unnecessary. The contractor should be able to
effectively communicate with their clients and avoid complaints at all costs.
Now that you have determined that the contractors license is valid, you need to check with the court house to determine if there are any pending or resolved law suits against the contractor. this can be done in
Maricopa County by visiting
http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/ here you can research public record on businesses and individuals.
These two simple steps will give you a piece of mind to start real due
diligence on the contractor which should include talking with as many past clients as you can find, visiting past projects and talking with vendors and subcontractors. Hiring a builder you can trust is the single most important decision you can make to insure success for your project. Take the time to research who you are hiring.
Finished Product
