Insurance for Home Repairs

When it comes to having repairs done around the house these days, there can be both a shortage of materials as well as tradesmen that know how to make the repairs. With this circumstance, I have seen many cases where tradesmen with experience have taken on jobs referred to them by friends. This is fine, but often these become side jobs and the tradesman might not have a contractor’s license nor insurance to cover his work or helpers they employ.

If you choose to take this route, you should be aware of 2 potential problems.

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1. If they job is not done correctly you might have little recourse against the tradesman to make things right.
2. If someone working on this job gets hurt, they might come after you for their medical bills or lost wages.

To protect yourself, it is best to hire State licensed contractors. Once you agree on the scope of work and a price, you should request a Certificate of Insurance which will show they have coverage.

Occasionally you might have someone come and clean your house once or do some landscaping work, and you don’t think to ask them about insurance. For these type of circumstances, you should have Personal Injury Endorsed onto your Homeowner’s policy. It is an inexpensive coverage but someday might save you from a big headache.
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For more answers to your questions, call me at (805)985-5488 or email me at joliver@farmersagent.com

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