4 Red Flags That Knoxville Contractor May Be Shady

When you do a large project in your Knoxville home, hiring the right contractor is essential. You want someone who is going to do a good job, complete the job on time, and not cost you an arm and a leg.

Unfortunately, sometimes it can be hard to figure out what contractor to hire when you’re debating the quality of work and price. In this post, we’ll show you 4 red flags that your Knoxville contractor may be shady.

Verbal Agreements

The biggest way to protect yourself from a shady contractor is to sign a contract. When you have something in writing about when the work will be done and how the contractor will be compensated, you’re better able to protect yourself when you have something in writing.

When a contractor will only doing a verbal agreement, that should raise a red flag with you. Any contractor who is unwilling to write out your agreement may be up to no good. Having a signed agreement in writing could help protect you if a contractor doesn’t hold up their end of the agreement.

Significant Changes In Cost

Another red flag that a Knoxville contractor is shady is if there are significant changes in the final price. Before starting a project, the contract should be able to provide you with an estimate of cost and you should make sure that they warn you of any increase in prices before they charge you any additional funds.

There are many times where the cost of a project does increase during the project. Professional contractors will warn you when this happens and will have good reasoning for the increase in price. When a contractor surprises you with this in the final bill, that should be a sign that they’re up to no good.

Be sure that you address cost increases before hiring a contractor. You can outline this in your contract with a contractor. They should be required to notify you when the cost of a project will increase.

Requests Upfront Payment

When your Knoxville contractor requests for payment up front, that should raise a significant red flag with you. A contractor should only ask for a small portion of the cost upfront to cover supplies. Any contractor who asks for more may be a shady contractor.

At the very most, you should only need to pay your Knoxville contractor about 10 percent of the overall price of the project. That should be enough to cover the initial costs of starting the project. When your contractor asks for more, that should raise a red flag, since it could indicate that a contractor may not finish the job or just take off with the money.

Be sure that you outline how payment will be handled in a contract. The contract should outline how much you should have to pay upfront as well as the payment plan for how the rest of the payments will be handled.

Lacks Licensing & Insurance

Finally, in order to properly vet a Knoxville contractor, you should always make sure that a contractor is properly licensed and insured before they start a job. A professional contractor will have the necessary licensing and insurance. Any contractor who doesn’t make the effort to have these items could be up to shady practices.

When meeting with a contractor, you can ask for proof of their insurance and that their license is up to date. You should also vet their past projects. Ask for photos of their most recent work to see the quality of work that they provide. You should also ask if you’re required to get permits for the job.

You should also ask if you’re required to get permits for the job. As the contractor, they should be responsible for getting the proper contracts if they are required. A contractor who skips this step could cost you a great deal of money when you sell your home.

Are you interested in buying a West Knoxville home for sale? If so, please do not hesitate to let us know. Rick can be contacted at 865-696-9002 or via email at [email protected]. Kati can be contacted at 865-696-1888 or via email at [email protected].