You’ve decided your remodeling project is more than you can handle alone and you want to hire a handyman.  This decision will lead you to many questions about who to hire and why.  In a later post, I will talk about the need for the remodeling contract itself.  Before you get to the remodeling contract phase, you need to decide who to hire.

You can find handyman through web searches, recommendations from friends, newspaper ads, or fliers at home improvement stores.  There are some specific things that you need to know about your handyman:

1. If there are employees involved, does the handyman carry worker’s compensation insurance?
2. Does the handyman carry sufficient liability insurance?
3. Is the handyman licensed according to the requirements of your area?

If the handyman has employees and does not carry worker’s compensation insurance (calls the employees independent contractors), any on-the-job injury claims could be filed against you and your homeowner’s insurance.  Liability insurance protects you from negligence on the part of the handyman, and allows you to collect damages.  Knowing that the handyman is running a legitimate business will help keep you out of court if things go wrong.

Proof of all of these should be provided to you with no hassle.  If there are excuses and delays, that might be a red-flag that this particular handyman may not be operating a legitimate business.  Recommendations from friends are a great place to start, as they obviously had a good experience, but be sure to check out the legitimacy of the business before making a deal.  It could save you many head-aches in the future.

Now that you’ve found someone with good recommendations and a solid business, it’s time to put things in writing and enter into a remodeling contract.  Check out tips on this in my next blog entry.

(Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/yes2art/2515713408/)