Make the Right Choice When Hiring a Painting Contractor

 

Hello there, and welcome back to our blog! If you’ve been keeping up with our posts, you are already aware of the fact that we here at Fresh Paint work with home and business owners to help them find painting contractors in the Vancouver area that are best qualified to handle their painting project needs. We have spent years refining our selection process and, as a result, feel as if we have found contractors that are not only professionals at what they do but are also honest in the way that they conduct their business. Even though we have gone to great lengths to make sure that we pair our customers with the best painters possible, we still feel it is important that our clients understand what they should look for when deciding to work with painting contractors. In the first of a two part blogs series, we are going to go over five essential questions that must be answered when you are considering hiring someone to paint your home or business. Keep reading to learn more.

Question 1: What kind of insurance do you carry?

 

When considering a painting contractor, you should find out what kind of insurance they carry. In most cases, contractors should carry two following types of insurance:

 

• Comprehensive Business Liability: This type of insurance protects your property from damage that could be caused by the painters. The last thing you want is for a painter to cause damage to your home only to find out that they do not carry insurance to cover it.

• Workmens’ Compensation: This insurance protects you and the workers from liability during the course of the painting project. This type of insurance is costly, meaning that many contractors will try to get away with not carrying it, however, it is in your best interest to make sure that you hire a contractor that provides this insurance. If you don’t, any injuries that happen on your property during the project could, potentially, become your responsibility.

 

Making sure that your contractor has the proper insurance goes a long way in making sure that they are a professional operation that cares about the safety of their workers and the safety of your property. Even though it might seem like overkill, you should ask the contractor to provide proof of insurance in order to make sure that they aren’t misleading you about their insurance status.

Question 2: Do you use employees or subcontractors?

 

In some cases, painting contractors will use subcontractors instead of actual employees to fill out their crew. This helps to lower the cost that a contractor must spend on employees because subcontractors are typically paid a flat fee as opposed to an hourly wage, and the contractor does not have to pay for employee benefits or social security taxes. With this being said, why are subcontractors a bad thing? First off, most contractors who hire subcontractors look for those who ask for the lowest compensation which, on occasion, translates into low-quality workmanship. Second, because subcontractors are paid a flat fee instead of an hourly fee, they may attempt to cut corners in order to complete the job faster. Third, if the contractor uses subcontractors instead of actual employees, it increases the chances that they do not have workmen’s compensation insurance, affecting your personal liability during the project. Lastly, if your contractor does not have actual employees, they most likely do not have a relationship with the subcontractors they have hired for your job. This increases the chances that background checks have not been done on the crew, increasing the risk related to allowing people into your home who you are not familiar with.

 

Join us again next time as we continue to go over some of the questions that you should ask potential painting contractors before agreeing to hire them. If you are interested in finding a reputable painting contractor for your project, please contact us today at Fresh Paint and allow us to help you find a contractor that will be able to handle all of your needs. We will work with you to find a contractor that is reputable and able to provide professional results.