When you decide you want something built, the obvious solution is to get in touch with a construction company.
Only construction companies can help people make their architectural dreams come true.
This is because the average person doesn’t have any clue how to build a house or building of their own.
A lot of people wonder though, what kind of contract do they sign when they agree to work with a construction company, and further to that, what kind of protections do they have in place?
This post will answer these questions and more.
1. Surety Bonds
Sometimes bonds are signed so that the client can ensure the construction company working for them completes the job they have been contracted to finish.
If you are about to contract a company to complete construction work for you, contract surety bonds are essential.
They protect you, meaning if the company that you hire does not do the work you pay them to, you can be compensated financially.
Once a surety bond has been signed, you have full legal protection. Most people who’re hiring construction companies insist upon surety bonds.
If the company you plan on hiring is resistant to the idea of signing a surety bond, find another.
The chances are that if they do not want to sign a surety bond, they cannot be trusted.
It is highly likely that they are criminals or are associated with crime in some way if they do not want to sign the most basic of protections.
Unfortunately, cowboy builders are becoming a threat to people who’re undertaking construction projects.
It is not uncommon for these individuals to commit acts of fraud, agreeing to complete jobs for people, and then abandoning clients without going ahead.
It’s not uncommon for these individuals to resist surety bonds. They do this so that they are not bound by any legal agreements.
You should not have to encourage the construction company you employ to sign surety bonds; they should be willing to. If they are not it is a clear indication that they should be avoided.
2. Work Contract
Even if a surety bond is not required or requested rather, companies usually require construction workers to sign work contracts, verifying they will complete the task that they have been contracted to complete.
When you are looking for a construction company to hire, you need to make sure that you do not hire one that is resistant to signing contracts either.
Sometimes cowboy builders refuse to sign contracts so that they can get people to agree to hire them verbally.
A verbal agreement is legally binding, but it can be hard to prove that one has taken place.
Cowboy builders typically also asked to be paid in cash so there are no paper records linking them to the person to whom they have agreed to work.
If you are planning on hiring a construction company that does not have many reviews online, make sure that you get them to agree to a work contract and a surety bond.
You also need to make sure that you pay them by bank transfer. Very few people conduct transactions in person anymore. The days of cash handovers are long gone.
If you do not make sure that you transfer money to the person (and then get them to sign contracts, as noted above at various points), that you have hired, there is no guarantee that they will admit to having agreed to undertake any kind of project on your behalf.
3. Finding Reliable Tradespeople
Lots of this article has been focused on making sure that you find reliable contractors to hire.
If you do not find reliable tradespeople, you could end up losing money due to fraud.
If you want to make sure that the people that you hire are qualified and are going to complete the project you have contracted them to, to your specifications, then you need to make sure that you conduct extensive online research and read reviews.
An organization’s reviews can tell you everything you need to know about them and make it a lot easier for you to decide whether or not working with them is a good idea.
Bear in mind some companies do not have reviews and that is not necessarily a bad sign. The only bad sign is if a company’s reviews are negative.
An absence of any reviews altogether just suggests that the company’s clients have had nothing negative to say about them in the past.
When you hire a construction company, make sure contracts are exchanged. Exchanging contracts can help you to ensure you do not become a victim of fraud.
You can hire an attorney to write contracts up for you.
