All Of Our Arizona Plumbers are Licensed and Bonded. Why do we think you should know this?
There are many times in this down economy that we as home owners in the Tempe Arizona area try to fix things we don’t know very much about just to try and save some money. Unfortunately, we don’t always save money because we may end up messing things up more than before we started. So if I’m not going to do it myself, why should I hire a licensed contractor? Can’t I save money by hiring an unlicensed contractor? Read what Karim says from his article “Should you hire Joe the Plumber?”
“There are a number of reasons that are in your best interest to hire a licensed contractor:
1) Permits and Regulations: Every municipality and state has varying laws and regulations that must be followed – this is especially important when dealing with building structures, electrical, gas and plumbing; a licensed contractor works with these regulations daily, and knows what work is regulated, and requires permits and inspections. Doing work without permits is illegal, and may affect your insurance or worse, the resale value of your home or the safety of yourself and your family.
2) Unsatisfactory Work: If you hire a contractor without license, you may have no recourse if you have a grievance with their work, or worse if they cause damage. In many states, there are laws, dispute resolution processes or other mechanisms that protect consumers IF the contractor is licensed and insured.
3) Insurance: Aside from being licensed, insurance is another critical aspect that a consumer should consider before hiring a contractor. Some states require insurance before they will issue a contractor’s license – others don’t. In any event, it’s pretty simple - if a worker is injured while working on your property and the contractor doesn’t have insurance, you could be liable to pay for injuries and rehabilitation. Depending on the size and nature of the work, the other piece of the puzzle to consider is whether the contractor carries commercial general liability insurance - it’s not required, however, it will cover damage to your property by the contractor in that unfortunate circumstance. And remember to ask for copies of the insurance certificates.”
There’s no perfect answer to this question, but generally speaking hiring licensed and insured contractors will generally result in a better outcome with less headache and more protection for you, the consumer, in the event something goes awry. So, before starting a project, familiarize yourself with relevant state and municipality regulations, do your homework on potential contractors’ insurance coverage and make sure to independently verify your contractor’s license. A little bit of homework goes a long way! see full article here.
