I am a local contractor that is licensed and insured in Maryland. I am so feed up with all of these unlicensed contractor running around in this area. I have held my Home Improvement license for over 10 years. I wonder sometimes why I even abide by the laws, since the unlicensed contractors seem to get all the work. I guess that's why they are able to charge a low price. These homeowners do not get it, it is against the law for these people to even do this work. Then they wonder why they are ripped off - either financially or workmanship. You are required to have a license to perform work in roofing, siding, landscaping, painting etc.
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36 comments:
And the true kicker is when the state, fed and local goverments hire un licenced un insured people with all illegal work forces to perform work for them.......
I always use liscensed contractors even if i have to pay more accidents happen and i don't want to be stuck with the bill when the comany's insurance company will pay for it.
Let me make that decision! I should be able to hire who ever I want to hire. If I'm willing to take the risk I should be able to do just that. License and insurance only drive up the cost. No one should be required to have either. License is another tax or fee imposed by the government. Frankly I've had enough government involvement in my life, let people do what they are comfortable doing and get government off our backs.
I hold five licenses in two states and they are worthless. They take your money and thats it.
If you are licensed and insured, please post your business name and the type of business you have. People are always looking for reputable, licensed contractors. At least, I know I only deal with licensed ones.
A license is not my criteria for selecting a contractor and should not be the reason a contractor expects to get business. Do good work and leave behind satisfied customers should be all that's required.
A license is nothing more than a revenue resource for Government.
10:37 I agree I need to build a deck and some other jobs around the house I just got sparkle wash to powerwash my house.
I'm a licensed master electrician and I make a living correcting what other fools screw-up. If everybody out there was licensed & insured, I'd have less business....so I encourage those homeowners who use unlicensed contractors, please continue to do so...I need the money.
The reason the licensed guy is so expensive is because he has to pay for the mistakes of the unlicensed. In Wicomico and Worcester counties the county limits what their own boards can do to unlicensed contractors so there isn't much penalty. The ones who get hurt the most are the licensed HONEST contractors trying to make a living.
10:25am its people like you who assume you can spot good work or not that screw up the whole system. If you were so good at spotting good work then maybe you should be consulting on construction matters. The vary reasons for having licenses and permits started because of bad work and ripoffs that normal people are unaware of. At least if you hire a licensed gut you have leverage in the event you have a problem.If not then you are on your own.
the cheap guy pays the most!
i don't advertise, don't need to.. word of mouth keeps me busy.. my prices are high, highest in town! still, my phone keeps ringing.. should i be required to have a home improvement license??? the client doesn't care. they are happy to get me.... you see, i am an American. i pay taxes, i pay for car insurance, i pay for a house, i pay for health insurance, i pay for ............
Eden Man, my thoughts exactly! It is a bidding war out there, though, and I've found that a lot of unlicensed people are charging the same or more than I am! So, in that case, going with a licensed contractor is always the customer's best choice.
www.GaryBullard.com
Just click on my Blogger name to get a link to my site. MHIC#99107
The key, besides quality work, is being competitive, license or not. People will do what they have to in order to survive. Having a license is a plus but doesn't mean you have a monopoly.
I wouldn't hire you just because you whine about free enterprise.
Anyone ever watch the HGTV show "Holmes on Homes"? Just goes to show you what the difference COULD be between licensed/insured vs. fly-by-night. That's OK it's spring & the contractors "clans" will be making their way around soon. They so the work...poorly & skip town as soon as you pay them.
I have to carry licenses in 3 different states, since we work in all 3. I pay thousands of dollars per year for the privilege of being able to work anywhere on Delmarva.
I am required to carry business liability insurance, as well as Workman's Compensation in order to maintain my licenses. Those costs are not cheap.
As EdenMan has stated, some of our work is fixing up the messed up efforts of unlicensed contractors and homeowners attempts at doing their own work.
You do have the right to hire who ever you want, but it still does not get the point across these people are breaking the law and when the Maryland Home Improvement Commission shuts them down and they are arrested, and the homeowener gets fined maybe then you'll think twice. All the contractors that feel they are not getting caught, I am sure reports have been made, its takes awhile for the state to get to you, since there are so many unlicensed contractors.
its everyones chioce to choose who they want to fix anything they have.whats the difference in that then havin "a friend" put brakes on your car for a six pack rather then getting raped at pepboys.there is none!someone just had a bad day or someone screwed them.its my choice not anyone elses.i have been screwed over but it was my choice.cant blame anyone but yourself
Here's the irony of having a MHIC license in Maryland: it only proves you can answer questions about Maryland Regulatory Requirements on an open book test. Just having the license does not mean you are qualified to repair a single thing. I hold the license, but employ people to do repairs. I can't do any of the work, but I know the Maryland Regs or at least am smart enough to be able to look them up and answer a question. The whole thing is nothing more than a revenue generator for the state - it's a joke really.
4:33 I'm sure some homeowners do provide you with a great living, but not all of us are so inept!
So who cares that you pay? we all pay. But don't worry when the communists take over we'll all be equal. They'll just take from you and me and give it to those who don't want to work!
Ain't america great!
For those of you who think hiring unlicensed contractors is "free enterprise"-tell that to your homeowners policy when your house either floods or burns to the ground because of shoddy work.They don't wanna hear it....
It is a slap in the face to licensed contractors with good reputations to have to compete with fly by nighters and glorified handymen who are not licensed to properly wire a home or hook up a septic system.You get what you pay for people.
Here's the deal.... Unlicensed contractors are, by definition, Criminals. Preforming home improvements in Maryland without being licensed by the MHIC is a crime. Unlicensed work is punishable by a $5000. fine and 2 years in jail. Even advertising home improvement work without a license is a $2000. fine and 1 year in jail. That includes having a sign on your truck stating that you do home improvements.
So... why not just go the max and hire an illegal alien home improvement contractor? And there's a whole bunch of them out there. Hell, why not go to an unlicensed dentist or a back alley abortionist?
I've had an HMIC license since 1985. I'm retired but I keep my license current.
MHIC backs licensed contractors with a guarantee fund that protects homeowners against shoddy work. Hire an unlicensed contractor, you're on your own. And you get what you deserve.
Craig Theobald
Ironshire
MHIC # 28913
i don't need the md. home improvement license to secure any work for me. the public demands my services. i have a business license and insurance and, that's it! what more do i need? i inform the homeowners that i don't have a home impro. license, but they don't care. they want me, not the commission. they know that i perform the work, and realize that i am not 'casing the joint'. how refreshing!!!!
I hear Hebron Town Hall will hire unlicensed contractors, they make there own laws. They even have a County Building Inspector as a commissioner and still let this go on.
All unlicensed contractors are criminals, just like theives, bank robbers, etc.
I have mhic in md...it's the law. 6:12..you will eventually get called in for not having it. Big fine..maybe even prison if you mess up real bad. I will admit that customers rarely ask for It but without it you can't even pull a permit for residential work. Not to mention it covers the homeowners. 6:12 says he has insurance, but insurance is for liability...like burning someones house down by accident....BUT not on craftsmanship. So if you hire someone for a job and they botch it up and they don't fixed it...your screwed. You can press charges but most likely the person will have no equity.
It is free enterprise. I don't see why anyone is fussing about having to go behind anyone anc correct what they messed up. You are getting paid to do so aren't you?
If people want to hire them, or an illegal, that's their choice. Buyer beware.
You're not complaining because they don't have license, which anyone can read a book and take a test. Has nothing to do with ability. You're complaining because they are undercutting you on price.
Life isn't fair.
I've read all the comments, and wish here to give a simple response.
If you are hiring someone not in the "system", then you are raising your own taxes. Those contractors who are not paying payroll taxes, license fees, insurance, and such are never held responsible, therefore your tax rates for unemployment, fed & state tax, insurance policies, medicare and social security out of YOUR paycheck MUST INCREASE to cover their non payments multiplied by the size of their crew. Their employees cannot collect unemployment if laid off on lean times.
AND they hold no financial statement to go after in case of dissatisfaction.
I'm as much for the free market system as the next guy, probably 80% more, but this is the system we live under, and I do mean under. We as a society have voted for all these things, and have the ability to change them by vote, but no one has.
The fact that the unlicensed ones are charging the same as the ones of us who pay our share into the system and are staying responsible makes them thieves against who? YOU! You are the one paying the difference through your payroll deductions!
It's pretty simple, and if you are ever dissatisfied with the work done, it's the licensed contractor who has something to lose if he does not please the customer, not the cash handyman.
Please, folks, look at the big picture.
How you can compare them to thieves and bank robbers is beyond me.
unemployment isn't paid with taxes. It is paid by employers. When the states trust fund for unemployment runs out they may get a loan from federal government, which is what is happening now.
My advice to licensed contractors...call in job sites to planning and zoning if you know the people on that site aren't licensed. Unless permit was pulled in homeowners name they will be in trouble. This cuts down on illegal contractors, both unlicensed and non citizen. Buyers beware is a liitle harsh by the way. Most homeowners have no idea how the home improvement business works or what to look out for...why would they? They aren't contractors. They learn after the fact. Haven't you people ever seen holmes on homes? 9:02...read what you wrote. You said enemployment isn't paid with taxes then follow with federal government loans the fund when it runs out. What money does the federal govt loan to the state trust fund? Hint...rhymes with axes....
It's only paid by licensed employers! Unlicensed employers aren't paying in...
I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall; good night.
I would no more hire an unlicensed contractor to do my home improvement than hire an illegal to take care of my yard.
Licensing protects the consumer and I'll always be willing to pay a little more to hire the guys who play by the rules.
The law is the law, and these laws help protect the consumer -- me!
I also don't attend the fly-by-night Church of What's Happening Now with the Right Reverend Steven Felonious who met Jesus in his prison cell and now leads a flock.
Thanks but no thanks.
Having a license and insurance does not offer any gurantee to quality or proper workmanship. There are only two advantages to hiring a contractor with a license and insurance. The first is those with a license give you a governing body to complain to when you are not happy with the workmanship and is about worth as much as the paper it is written on.Secondly and the most important is the insurance for it pays to have the work redone properly should the contractor mess the job up. However very few people realize that is what the insurance is for and rarely file a claim with the insurance carrier to have the work redone at the insurance companys expense. I agree that a license is just for revenue to the government but you need that to get the insurance.
Hey Ironshire,
Your boy Mikey hired an unlicensed contractor to paint his house covered in Lead Paint. Lead paint chips and dust everywhere. I called him and told him the guy wasn't licensed and he asked me if I expected him to investigate everyone he hired to work for him. I told him yes. Especially, since he was Mayor and now a Delegate. I hope your learning how 2 faced he is.
What money does the federal govt loan to the state trust fund? Hint...rhymes with axes
Yes, of course. And? That doesn't change the way unemployment is funded. And if the states didn't run out no tax money would be used. Grow up.
I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall; good night.
11:04 PM
Hit it softly, it may help.
8:16, no one is arguing how unemployment is funded. But when fund runs short the difference is made up with a federal loan. A federal loan backed by taxes. You said unemployment is funded with taxes...but in fact it is frequently partially funded by taxes when fund runs short. Fund runs short because not enough is paid in. 11:04..I know plenty of unlicensed contractors that have a payroll which pays into the unemployment fund. Don't believe your right on that. 1:08, your wrong. The mhic does cover poor workmanship in some cases. either way the mhic license is great for the customer and is cheap for the contractor. Not sure what unemployment has to do with it though. Contractor doesn't even have to have employees, he/she can hire subs and send out 1099s.
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