Here are some ways to investigate a contractor in Florida:
Check the contractor’s license
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licenses contractors. You can call the DBPR at (850) 487-1395 or visit the DBPR website to check a contractor’s license and complaint history.
–be aware that pending complaints are not visible, only resolved complaints. That means there could be a lot of complaints filed recently and you would not know just by using this database. And it can take a very long time for the state to resolve complaints.
-if you hire a contractor, pay attention to the part of the contract that holds the homeowner responsible if the contractor does not pay subs or suppliers. It is outrageous, but it is Florida. I had a roofer who didn’t pay for the materials and I got hit with another $20k cost on top of the $20k I paid him. He filed bankruptcy, but I filed criminal charges against him and got paid back. So here is THE key- get a signed and notarized lien waiver each time you make a payment. Our attorney, (who lives in our neighborhood) said it’s always a good idea to get lien waivers each payment. And when you make that last payment, get notarized lien waivers from the general contractor and the subcontractors.
33707news.com 