Home Improvement

[Carboholic]

I am a homeowner and will be hiring a contractor to do some work. Is there some kind of bond I can require the contractor to get in order to protect myself in case anything goes wrong?

Also, I've seen some contractors advertise themselves as "Insured and Bonded"... what does this mean? And what is the difference between the two?

[Admin]

You can require a contractor to obtain a bond to guarantee their work. However, there are few things you should know before doing so.

1) Small private jobs are difficult to bond, as most do not want to waste their time with them due to lack of profit. Our agency will not be able to help.

2) The cost of the bond is actually passed on to you through the contract.



As for contractors advertising they are bonded, it typically means they posted a bond to obtain their license with either a state or local government. If the contractor breaks the rules of the license when doing work for you, you can file a claim on the bond.

You can read differences between Surety Bond vs. Inusrance on our main site.