Mount Paran Northside Citizens Association

THE NEIGHBORHOOD HANDYMAN by James J. Scavo, Esq.

Oct 22, 2004

You look around your house and it looks pretty good but some freshening up would help. There is a knock on the door. Before you is an individual telling you that they are prepared to perform "handyman work," including painting. The question is, do you hire them or not?

Perhaps the best advice to be given about painting your house or getting work done is to stay away from the "knock on the door" contractor and deal only with reputable companies, including those referred by or associated with established businesses such as Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. home improvement divisions. This is not to recommend any particular company. But to proceed outside established channels can be risky.

Before you decide to allow the individual knocking on your door to perform work for you, you should seek to find out if the contractor has any references. Do you know anything about the background of the individual(s) who have asked to do work at your house? Have they had issues with others for whom they have performed services? The best approach is to speak to several references. Ask the contractor for references at his last several jobs performed in the neighborhood, together with names and phone numbers of those for whom the jobs were performed. Then, consider whether the individual who is asking to do work in your house has business licenses to perform the work they are being asked to do. Also, consider whether they are insured in the event they cause an accident on your property.

Even with the above said, if you determine to hire the people who knock on your door, carefully consider the question of any advance payment. For example, it is not unusual for a contractor who is hired after a knock on the door to request an advance payment for "materials." It is foolish to provide money directly to the contractor. While Georgia law makes it a crime for a contractor to divert money paid to them for materials from one job to another, nevertheless, criminal prosecution on this point may not get you your money back, get the job done, and certainly is not time-effective. So, if you decide to hire someone who knocks on your door and they need money for materials and you subsequently decide to advance the money, at least never advance it directly to them. Instead, have them go to the paint store, etc. and have the paint store representative etc. contact you directly with the supplies to be purchased and the amount to be paid. Then pay the paint store directly by credit card, avoiding the money sifting through the hands of the contractor. Even at that point, however, remember the contractor has the supplies and you are hoping they return to your house with them.

Assuming the contractor returns to the house with the purchased supplies (your chances of having this happen are better if they have a job that they expect to get paid for), the next question becomes future payment of the contractor for services rendered. It is ill-advised to let one of these contractors knocking on your door get out in front of you on payment. Frankly, it is best to avoid advancing a fraction of the payment equal to the fraction of work done. It is always better to hold money back to assure they return, complete the job and complete it satisfactorily.

Remember also that people who you have invited into your house or onto your property to perform a service have opportunity to do harm. Theft is possible. It is foolish to give the contractor keys to the house or allow open access throughout your house. Confining contractors to selected areas while you are present is your best policy. Keep an eye open for things that may be missing (from jewelry to license plates off your car). Unless you catch them in the act?— that which they take with them when they leave the property, may never return.