Few times in the life of a homeowner can be more
challenging than when significant repairs are needed. The number of
issues, options and decisions seems endless, the most daunting of which
is contractor selection.

When choosing a contractor for a repair or renovation the most
fundamental of screening techniques is the assurance that the
contractor is properly licensed. The tales of tragedy brought about by
the illegal actions of unlicensed contactors are enough to scare us
into never making repairs! Thankfully, it is free and easy to eliminate
these thieves from our lives if we do some simple research.

The State of Florida requires that all contractors be properly
licensed under the auspices of The Construction Industry Licensing
Board. Each licensed contractor or company qualified to conduct
business in the state has a license number. The license number makes it
easy to know what a particular contractor or company is licensed to do,
but only if we know the code!

Fortunately the code is easy to break. Nearly every license
issued by the State of Florida is a combination of three letters and
six numbers. The letters identify the type of work the contractor is
licensed to perform and the numbers specify the individual contractor
or company. At the top of the list are:

CGC

Certified General Contractor


(Builders of big buildings)

CBC

Certified Building Contractor

(Builders of small offices and stores)

CRC

Certified Residential Contractor

(Builders of homes)

It's starting to get simple! The licenses begin and end in the
letter "C". A builder can build any building in or below the license
level, so a General Contractor could build a home, but a Residential
Contractor could not build a bank!

Every system in a home or building is also required to be
installed or repaired by properly licensed people. The simple secret
code on this is:

CCC Certified Roofing Contractor

CAC Certified Mechanical Contractor (Heating and Air)

CPC Certified Pool Contractor

CFC Certified Plumbing Contractor

EC Electrical Contractor

To help us even more in avoiding unlicensed contractors the
state requires that a contractor display their license number on every
vehicle, invoice, bid, business card and solicitation. So, you can tell
if a person is licensed before you even speak to them!

Most people assume that the risk posed by unlicensed work is
limited to poor quality or unfinished work. But it gets much worse! The
homeowner who hires unlicensed contractors is responsible for all
unpaid bills, fines, and worst of all, payment for any injury to the
unlicensed contractor! It is illegal and ill-advised to hire these
scoundrels!

A quick link to all this and more, including everything you
ever wanted to know about permitting - but were afraid to ask - is at www.gohomepro.com. Forewarned is forearmed, so check it out and keep the risks of unlicensed and illegal work away from your home!