8 Easy Ways to help ensure

You do not get

Ripped Off by a “contractor“

in

2025

By: a Buffalo NY Painting Company

1) Google the company in which you are looking to hire. Legitimate companies will have listings all over the place. Or their social media pages will have hundreds or even thousands of followers. Check reviews.
2) Check to make sure they are properly insured for the work they are proposing to do. You get this information from their General Liability Insurance form. Call the 1-800 number. Takes 3 minutes.

3) Make sure if any employees step foot on your property, they too are insured. In New York State all employees must be covered by Workers Compensation Insurance. Its very expensive. Many “contractors” do not carry it. You can check your contractor’s status by going here: https://www.wcb.ny.gov/content/ebiz/icempcovsearch/icempcovsearch_overview.jsp

You typically will pay more for your contractor but if an employee gets hurt performing the most dangerous job in the country, you don’t get sued! (Construction has the most injuries and deaths of any other industry in the United States.) Don’t be the guy that hires the “contractor” who is improperly insured.

General Liability
Workers Comp
Must haves in 2025!

4)Do they have a legitimate Contract? In NYS, some contract basics- it must have the contractors physical address. PO Boxes do not count. Must have the business name, phone number. Printed on the contract. Must include the 3 day cancelation clause. Must detail the work to be performed, where, how much and payment schedules. Check for warranties. Though with painting there is 1,000 reasons why it failed that have nothing to do with workmanship.

5) Never pay cash. Always get a receipt. Never pay the bulk of the job upfront. Never release the final payment until everything is done and all parties are happy. Draws on large jobs are expected. Your contractor is not a bank. Do not treat them like one. We have families too.

6) All companies specialize in something. Find the company that specializes in the work you need done first. Then, worry about the rest. Chances are the company that specializes in one thing knows someone else who specializes in something else. We aren’t doctors, so specializations typically are not outrageously expensive. For instance a Painter who specializes in Wallpaper Hanging – an exceptionally rare specialization these days. Would you rather have someone who has actually hung 10,000 miles of wallpaper work on your home, or the week end warrior who claims to be the expert in everything?
You find an expert in everything – RUN!

7) The City of Buffalo requires contractors to be licensed. The license is expensive. This license requires certain insurance thresholds and riders. This too is expensive. As a result, many “contractors” do not have a license. If there is a problem, your problem, just became a much bigger problem for all involved. Depending on the trade in which your seeking, will depend on whether your local municipality requires your contractor to be licensed.

8) Permits are for your protection, as well as your contractor’s. Avoiding permits is like having sex with out protection.

A simple poll. Results are public, and 100% anonymous.

Buffalo NY