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Posted by dpb on June 3, 2007, 8:43 am
>
>
> > Hello. I am going to be looking for a painter to paint the trim of my
> > house. What should I look for regarding insurance? My neighbor had
> > someone fix her roof and he fell off his ladder and broke his arm. The
> > company he worked for denied his work comp claim stating he is an
> > independent contractor, so he sued my neighbor for medical and lost time.
> > She went through hell before he stopped pursuing the claim and I want to
> > be protected from this. Thanks
>
> State laws may vary, but a business with employees (may vary in number in
> some states) must have workman's comp, thus the "independent contractor"
> status that some use. Liability insurance should be a must for any
> reputable contractor. The sad reality is that any sleazy contractor can
> find a way around most anything.
The potential liability (if any) of the homeowner is also what your
homeowner's policy is for. If there's a problem, give it to them and
they'll handle the scumbucket if it's a scam or attempt to extort.
As Edwin says, if dealing w/ a firm, ensure they have all state and/or
local business licenses required and are up to date w/ workmans' comp
payments and require proof of insurance and bond.
If it's an individual DBA somebody, essentially the same thing holds
with some differences which are dependent on local laws. A check w/
local government on what they require is worthwhile and with BBB and/
or similar locally is good doublecheck, too. Won't necessarily hide
the sleazeball who just hasn't been reported if no bad, but a string
of reports is clear indication to stay away.
After that, references, references, references...
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