1. Do Your Research
The internet is a great resource for finding a handyman. Conduct a search on Google or us one of the many directories like Angi, NextDoor, Houzz etc. Most of these sites will also feature reviews so check their star rating and also read some of the actual reviews. See if they respond to any negative reviews and stand by their work. Visit their website of they do have a website and check on the types of Services they offer. Once you have selected a few local possible vendors, move on to the next step.
2. Check Their Licensing and Insurance
Make sure they ate licensed and insured. You do not want to open yourself to a lawsuit or issues with local regulations from unqualified and unlicensed contractors. Most legitimate handymen will show their license on their website. For example, this St Augustine Handyman shows their license in the footer of their website. Check local and state regulations and boards for more information.
3. Ask for References
Reading reviews is great but in todays internet many reviews can be fake. Ask to speak with a few references. Even if you choose not to speak with your references, at least you know they are open to giving you satisfied customers who will vouch for their work. If they hesitate to provide any names, proceed with caution.
4. Check on Pricing
Find out how they rice a job and any minimums they may charge per visit. Some companies charge by the hour and others will quote by the job. If they charge by the hour, ask how many hours they estimate. If they quote on the project, ask if their pricing is firm and how long the quote is good for. Make sure you get everything in writing before proceeding.
5. Give Them a Call
Once you have completed your research, call them and speak to them. See how responsive they are to your requests. Many time you can get a gut feel just from a conversation. If they don’t return phone calls in a timely manner they will probably not be responsive for your project. These steps may seem like a lot of work, but it is far better to do your research and choose the best handyman before you end up with a costly headache on your hands. Hiring the wrong company can cost you time, money, disruptions to your household and even possible lawsuits. You are hiring someone who will be in your home and doing repairs or upgrades to our valuable home. It is far better to spend a little extra time before hiring someone than to spend months trying to fix a problem they have created or having to wait longer than planned for the job to be completed.
There are many great handymen out there who are honest, hardworking with fair and reasonable pricing. Make sure those are the ones your hire and not fly by the night operators who are unlicensed, uninsured and incompetent.
