If you own a home, you can attest to the amount of time you probably have spent on weekends fixing stuff around the house yourself. If you are anything like us, you probably have thought about hiring a handyman to free up your time to relax or focus on other things you have been putting off. If so, you may be ready to hire a local handyman to help you accomplish various projects around the house or office. With that said, there are some rules you should follow before letting anyone into your home. Consider these questions before you choose one.
Past clients can tell you a lot about future work
Ask the handyman for references that you can call. Speak to these homeowners and ask them about the work that was done. Were they happy with the quality of work? Did the handyman finish within the timeframe that was agreed upon? How was the quality of work? These are basic questions that can help you make an informative decision.
Is your handyman Licensed
Depending on the state there are exemptions of what actual work a handyman can perform without having an actual contactors license. In most states within the U.S. you are not required to have a license for small repairs. However, you should still ask to see what kind of licenses if any your handyman has. This will also let you know the type of jobs or repair you can have him perform.
Run your own background check
Before you proceed you should take this simple step of running a public criminal record check on the handyman you have narrowed down. This can be done for a very small fee and done directly online with just a first and last name. This is an important step for your safety and it takes under 10 min to perform. Do not overlook this step.
Provide me a quote
We have heard of horror stories where a quote was not established before work began only to have the homeowner shocked by the final bill. Be sure to clearly have the handyman state exactly what he charges per hour or try and get a total upfront in writing.
Provide all the tasks you want done before hand as this will help the handyman know exactly what you require and you both can come together on a fair price before work begins.
Is your work guaranteed?
What happens if something goes wrong with the handyman’s work? Will he or she come back to make it right? Ask this upfront and try to get a guarantee in writing. We have found through our research that the more serious handyman has no real trouble guaranteeing their work.
In Closing
Try and follow these basic rules before you hire your next handyman. Making the right choose now can save you money and time down the road with your home or office projects.