What to Look for in a Contractor’s Contract

8. EPA lead safety certification. Contractors working on homes in the U.S. built before 1978 should be certified in lead-safe practices by the EPA. You can read more about the requirements here, but in a nutshell, it’s all about minimizing and containing dust during work, which is vital for the safety of you and your family.

9. Payment schedule. While payment schedules can vary by the job, they should always be agreeable to both parties involved. In my opinion, payments tied to milestones in the project are better than those tied to percentages of completion. As long as you are confident that you’re not paying for significantly more than what’s been completed, you should be OK.

10. Warranty. The standard warranty for work is one year from substantial completion. If you’ve checked the contractor’s physical address and gotten recommendations from people you trust, you’ll know where to find him later if needed.

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What Your Contractor Really Means
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