STEPHEN J DUNHAM ENTERPRISES

A handshake deal or a one-page estimate leaves a lot unwritten — get the full scope, price, schedule, and payment terms into one signed document. It's commonly recommended you get a written agreement that spells out the scope of work, materials, start and completion dates, total price, and the payment schedule — and that you don't let work begin, or hand over money, until both sides have signed it. If a contractor resists putting terms in writing, treat that reluctance as information in itself.

Asking a homeowner for a large deposit or full payment before any work begins is one of the most common patterns in post-disaster contractor scams. It's commonly recommended you keep any upfront deposit small — enough to cover initial materials or permit costs, not the bulk of the contract — and get the exact payment schedule in writing. L&I's hiring-a-contractor guidance covers current specifics; treat pressure for a large deposit as a reason to slow down.

Structuring payment around finished stages — foundation poured, framing complete, roof on — instead of a calendar schedule gives you leverage if something goes wrong partway through. It's commonly recommended you inspect each milestone yourself, or have someone you trust inspect it, before releasing that portion of payment. The final payment shouldn't be due until you're satisfied the work is complete and has passed any required inspections.

In Washington, subcontractors and material suppliers who aren't paid by your general contractor can potentially place a lien on your property, even if you already paid the general contractor in full. Before making the final payment, it's commonly recommended you ask for signed lien releases (sometimes called lien waivers) from every subcontractor and supplier who worked on the job, so you aren't at risk of paying twice for the same work.

A certificate of insurance from the contractor's liability insurer, ideally naming you as an additional interest, is commonly recommended before work starts — it gives you documentation of coverage if a worker is injured on your property or the contractor damages something during the rebuild. Confirm the policy is active and matches what's on file with L&I rather than taking a photocopy at face value.

Every fact in this report links back to its source so you can double-check it, and it's commonly recommended you also look the contractor up directly at L&I's own verification tool (secure.lni.wa.gov/verify) before signing anything, since license and bond status can change after this report was generated. A license number printed on a business card or truck door doesn't confirm the registration is current, active, and actually belongs to the company you're about to hire.

References from jobs completed in the last two years, ideally similar in scope to yours, are commonly recommended over older or out-of-area references — a lot can change at a company in a few years, especially one that has recently expanded into disaster-rebuild work. Call the references yourself and ask specifically about timeline, communication, change orders, and whether they'd hire the contractor again.

An assignment of benefits (AOB) signs over your right to your own insurance claim payout directly to the contractor — once signed, you can lose much of your ability to control or dispute how that money is handled. It's commonly recommended you have your own insurer review any assignment-of-benefits document before signing, and consider having a lawyer review it too, rather than signing one a contractor hands you on the spot.