Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Contractor

Short Answer: Ask for the registration number first and verify it. Then ask who pulls permits, who the subcontractors are, how change orders and payments work and how lien releases will be provided, and put the answers in the contract.

Quick Facts

The best time to avoid a contractor problem is before you sign. These questions are grouped by what they protect: your legal protections, your money, your schedule and the quality of the work. Ask them in the first meeting, and get the important answers in writing.

Credentials and Protections

1. What Is Your Washington Registration Number?

Verify it before discussing price, using How to Check a Contractor License in Washington. A contractor that hesitates here has answered every other question for you.

2. Is the Registration in the Same Name as the Business on the Contract?

The contract should be with the registered entity.

3. Are You a General or Specialty Contractor, and Does That Cover My Project?

A specialty registration covers one trade; a multi-trade remodel usually needs a general contractor.

4. What Bond Do You Have, and Are There Any Lawsuits Against It?

You can confirm the answer on L&I Verify.

5. What Liability Insurance Do You Carry, and Can I See a Certificate?

Ask for limits and the policy period.

6. Do You Have Employees, and Is Your L&I Workers’ Comp Account Current?

This matters if someone is injured on your property.

7. Will You Give Me the Notice to Customer?

Required for most residential jobs of $1,000 or more under RCW 18.27.114.

The Work Itself

8. Have You Done Projects Like Mine Recently?

Ask for examples and photos.

9. Can I Speak to Two or Three Recent Customers?

Ask them about schedule, communication, cleanup and how problems were handled.

10. Who Will Be on Site Day to Day?

Know who to call.

11. Will You Use Subcontractors, and Who Are They?

Get names and registration numbers and check them too.

12. Who Pulls the Permits and Schedules Inspections?

The contractor doing the work should normally pull its own permits.

13. What Materials and Brands Are Included?

Vague specs lead to disputes. Get model numbers or allowances in writing.

Money

14. Is This a Fixed Price or Time and Materials?

Each has trade-offs; know which you are agreeing to.

15. What Is the Payment Schedule?

Payments should follow completed milestones, not run ahead of the work.

16. How Much Is the Deposit and What Does It Pay For?

Large deposits for small jobs are a warning sign.

17. How Do Change Orders Work?

Insist on written, signed change orders with price and schedule impact before extra work starts.

18. Will You Provide Lien Releases from Subcontractors and Suppliers?

This protects you from paying twice. See Lien Release Explained for Washington Homeowners.

19. Can I Hold Back Retainage Until Completion?

The Notice to Customer tells you that you may.

Schedule

20. When Can You Start and How Long Will It Take?

Ask what could delay it.

21. How Many Other Jobs Will You Be Running at the Same Time?

Overloaded contractors are a common cause of delays.

22. How Will We Communicate, and How Often?

Agree a weekly update.

After the Job

23. What Warranty Do You Offer on Workmanship?

Get the length and terms in writing.

24. What Happens at Completion?

Ask about a final walkthrough, punch list, cleanup and final inspection.

25. Who Do I Call If Something Goes Wrong After You Leave?

A business with a stable address and registration history is easier to hold to its warranty.

Tip: Write the answers down during the meeting and compare them across bids. Differences in answers are often more revealing than differences in price.

Questions for Specific Trades

Roofing, electrical and plumbing each have trade-specific questions. Roofers in particular attract storm-chasing scams; see Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Roofer.

Turning Answers into a Contract

The answers only protect you if they end up in the contract: scope, materials, price, payment schedule, change-order process, start and completion dates, permits, warranty and lien releases. Use the Home Improvement Contract Checklist for Washington to make sure nothing is left out.

Answers That Should Worry You

• No registration number, or a number belonging to someone else.
• “We don’t need a permit for that” on structural, electrical or plumbing work.
• Cash only, or a large deposit before anything is scheduled.
• Pressure to sign today for a special price.
• No written contract.

If you hear these, keep looking.

How to Use These Questions in Practice

You do not need to read out all 25 questions like a survey. A practical approach:

1. Before the meeting, send the contractor a short email asking for their registration number, a certificate of insurance and two recent references. Their reply tells you a lot about their organisation.
2. During the site visit, focus on the work itself: scope, materials, permits, subcontractors and schedule.
3. When the bid arrives, check it against your notes and ask follow-up questions about anything missing.
4. Before signing, confirm the money questions: payment schedule, deposit, change orders, retainage and lien releases.

Keeping your notes in one document for each contractor makes the final comparison much easier.

How to Judge the Answers

Good answers are specific, consistent and willing to be written down. For example, “We pull the permit, and final payment is due after the final inspection” is a strong answer. “Permits aren’t really needed for this kind of thing” is not.

It is also worth noticing what contractors ask you. Good contractors ask about your budget, priorities, access to the house, pets, working hours and how decisions will be made. That curiosity is a sign they plan their jobs carefully.

When to Walk Away

Walk away if a contractor refuses to provide a registration number, insists on cash, asks for most of the price up front, will not put the scope in writing or pressures you to sign immediately. No discount is worth giving up the basic protections Washington’s registration system provides.

Keep a Simple Scorecard

For each contractor, give a quick score from one to five on credentials, clarity of the bid, communication, references and payment terms. It is not science, but it stops a single impression, such as a friendly manner or a low price, from outweighing everything else. Add a notes column for anything that worried you. When the scores are close, choose the contractor whose written bid is clearest; clarity before the job usually means fewer disputes during it.