Hiring someone to work on your house is mostly an exercise in risk management. The work itself is usually fine. What goes wrong goes wrong around the edges: no written scope, a large deposit, no insurance, and no way to reach anyone afterwards.
Check the licence, where one is required
Texas licenses some trades at state level and not others. Electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state and you can verify a licence number directly with the issuing body. Air conditioning and refrigeration contractors are licensed too. General remodelling and handyman work largely are not.
So "licensed" means something specific for some trades and almost nothing for others. Ask which licence, ask for the number, and check it yourself rather than accepting a logo on a van.
Ask for proof of insurance, from the insurer
You want a certificate of insurance sent to you by the agent or insurer, not a photo of one. A certificate that arrives from the contractor's phone tells you a policy existed at some point.
General liability covers damage to your property. Workers' compensation matters if anyone will be on a ladder or a roof. Texas does not require most private employers to carry workers' compensation, so its absence is common rather than disqualifying, but you should know before the work starts, not after.
Get the scope in writing, not just the price
A quote that is one number and one line is where disputes come from. You want, in writing: what is being done, what materials, who buys them, what happens to the debris, roughly when, and what is explicitly not included.
The last one prevents most arguments. "Does not include repairing subfloor if rot is found" is a sentence that saves a relationship.
Be careful with deposits
A deposit is normal for work requiring ordered materials. A large up-front payment for labour is not. If a contractor needs most of the money before starting, they are asking you to finance their business, and you are taking on the risk if they do not come back.
Pay in a way that leaves a record and gives you some recourse. Cash leaves neither.
Judge them on the quote visit
The most reliable signal is how someone behaves before they have your money. Did they turn up when they said? Did they look at the actual job or quote from the doorway? Did they ask questions? Did the written quote arrive when promised?
Someone who is casual about those things before being paid will not become precise afterwards. This tells you more than a page of five-star reviews, because you are observing it directly rather than taking someone's word for it.
A short checklist
- Licence number for the trades that require one, verified with the issuing body.
- Certificate of insurance sent directly by the insurer or agent.
- Written scope listing inclusions, exclusions, materials and debris removal.
- Deposit proportionate to materials, not to labour.
- A payment method that leaves a record.
- At least one reference for a job like yours, and actually call it.
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