Every contractor horror story we hear at a kitchen table could have been stopped by one of six questions. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free estimate.
Every contractor horror story we hear at a kitchen table could have been stopped by one of six questions. Not trick questions. Simple ones. A good contractor answers each in about a minute and doesn't mind being asked. A bad one gets vague. Here are the six, what a real answer sounds like, and how to check it yourself.
The 6 questions
In New Jersey, anyone paid to do home improvement work has to be registered with the state Division of Consumer Affairs. The number starts with 13VH, and by law it has to appear on the contract, on ads and on the truck. Ask for it. Then look it up on the Division of Consumer Affairs online license search: the business name should match the one on your quote and the status should be active. No number — or "I use my buddy's number" — means walk. Ours prints on every quote. Plumbing and electrical work also need a state-licensed plumber or electrician. Ask who holds that license.
Two policies matter: general liability, which New Jersey requires registered contractors to carry (the state minimum is $500,000 per occurrence), and workers' compensation for the crew. Ask for the certificate — a one-page COI — with your name and address listed as the certificate holder. Then call the insurance agent printed on it and confirm the policy is current. Five minutes. Without workers' comp, a worker hurt on your property can come after you and your homeowners policy. The state also requires the contractor to hand you a copy of the liability certificate along with the contract.
Many companies sell the job and then rent subcontractors you never meet. Different faces every day, nobody knows the plan, and when something goes wrong they all point at each other. Ask for the foreman's name. Ask whether the plumber and the electrician are on staff or subbed. Ask how many jobs the crew runs at once. The answer you want: one dedicated crew, same foreman every day, and the people who quoted it are the people who build it.
An estimate is a guess. A fixed, itemized price is a promise. Ask for every line: demo, permits, materials by tier, labor, haul-away, cleanup. Then ask, "If you find something behind the wall, what happens?" The right answer: you get photos and priced options, and nothing is added without your signature on a written change order. New Jersey requires home improvement contracts over $500 to be in writing with the price and the start and finish dates. A contractor who won't do that is already breaking the rules before the job starts.
The contractor should. When a contractor asks you to pull the permit as the homeowner, they're usually hiding the fact that they can't. A permit means an inspector checks the framing, the plumbing and the electrical before the walls close. Unpermitted work shows up when you sell, and the buyer's lawyer will make it your problem, not theirs.
A big deposit up front is the number-one way people lose money: the contractor takes it and stops answering the phone. Ask for a payment schedule tied to work you can see, and ask to hold the final payment until you walk the finished job together. Then ask what's guaranteed, for how long, and where it's written. "We stand behind our work" on a website is a slogan. A paragraph in your contract is a guarantee.
Red flags that end the conversation
- A discount for paying cash with no paperwork.
- "This price is only good if you sign today."
- No business address, or a phone number that goes to a different company name.
- "You don't need a permit for this." You usually do.
- Wanting most of the money before any work starts.
- A quote with one number and no lines under it.
- Can't tell you the name of the person who'll be in charge at your house.
How we answer the six
- Registered NJ Home Improvement Contractor, fully insured. A licensed master plumber on the team.
- Licensed and insured. The certificate of insurance goes to you before you sign, not after you ask twice.
- One dedicated licensed crew — no rented subcontractors — and the same foreman every day. The people who quote your job are the people who build it.
- A written, itemized price on the spot at your free in-home consultation. The Price-Lock Guarantee: the number can't change without your signature on a written change order.
- Permits pulled and inspections met by us, in every one of the 219+ towns we serve.
- No deposit. You pay as the work gets done, and you hold the final payment until the item-by-item walkthrough — the Sign-Off Guarantee.
- The No-Surprise Guarantee and the 5-Year Watertight Guarantee, printed in your contract. Plus a photo update text every workday.
Questions people ask next
How do I check a contractor's license in NJ?
Go to the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs online license search and enter the business name or the 13VH number. Check that the name matches your quote, the registration is active, and the address is real. For plumbing and electrical, the state boards list those licenses separately — ask for the license holder's name and look it up too.
Is the lowest quote always a bad sign?
Not always, but usually it's missing something: permits, haul-away, the electrical upgrade, a tile allowance nobody could live with. Put the quotes side by side and compare them line by line. Bring us any written quote and we'll match the scope line by line — then you'll know exactly what the low number left out.
How much of a deposit is normal in New Jersey?
Plenty of contractors ask for a third, and some ask for half. We don't take one. You pay as the work gets done, tied to milestones you can see, and the final payment waits for your sign-off. The number on our contract rings the owner, so there's nobody to disappear with a deposit anyway.
What has to be in a NJ home improvement contract?
For any job over $500: a written contract with the contractor's legal name, address and registration number, a description of the work and materials, the total price, the start and finish dates, and a copy of the liability insurance certificate. Add the payment schedule, the change-order rule and the guarantee wording. If it's not on the paper, it doesn't exist.
Need a licensed contractor near you?
If you searched “licensed contractor near me” anywhere in New Jersey, that's us. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus and sends its own licensed crew to all 21 counties — written price before work starts, no deposit, a real person on the phone 24/7.
Ask us all six. We like these questions.
Free in-home consultation. License, insurance and the guarantees, in writing, before you sign anything.
Or call Alex direct: (201) 676-3099