I have been very frustrated with the lack of professionalism and lack of communication with each painter and contractor I have called for jobs.

Why would someone waste their time to come out, look at the job, and NEVER get back to you, even to say they can't/won't do it.

Just this morning at 9:00 am I called another contractor. He came recommended on our "neighbor next door" thread. Someone on that thread was saying the same thing about no call backs, but recommended this guy.

He said he would be in my area today and would call me at noon to make a time to see the work.

It's now after 1:00 pm. I have things to do so not waiting around. Maybe he forgot, got busy, which I understand. Maybe I'll hear from him later, who knows.

So, when this happens to you, do you try to call them back or just leave it alone. When I had done some call backs in the past, I get the voicemail, leave a message, but never hear from them.

I hate chasing after someone. Don't do it with tenants, don't want to do it with contractors. It's like common courtesy doesn't exist anymore.

Well, I have to say that the guy who was supposed to call me at noon did call me, but it was 2 PM. He called to let me know that he could not make it today, but that he will be calling me tomorrow afternoon and coming to look at the job then.

Jo,

To add to Ken’s research we look up their court amd criminal records. Can be VERY enlightening.

And ditto to his advice that often these guys are CONTRACTORS because they are not reliable or accountable. They won’t do what they don’t want to do. Many don’t know how to price a project.

I like to say “This paint job pays $450. Does that work for you?”

The neighbor said he was not dependable. Fair warning.

I don’t like the whole “I’ll call you when I’m free” approach. Seldom works. Kinda tells me he does not plan his day. I set an appt with the understanding if he frees up early to give me a call.

Final thought...lack of response is self-weeding.

BRAD

Many of these guys will double book so if property owner doesn't show for appointment then they will call you, of course the contractors don't tell you that you are only a backup appointment in case the real property owner appointment doesn't show up.

In the case where they are reluctant to make an appointment and say they will call you if they are free, those guys are usually looking for the jackpot job. They don't like to work too hard finding a lot of little jobs and are hoping to find some larger job they can be at for a few weeks.

Those are the guys to stay away from since they usually don't find the jackpot job and are often in debt. They will pass up a small but real job in the hope of getting some pie-in-the-sky dream job. Real losers.

Well, thanks to a response from Ken (NY) I did look up one contractor. That I met last week. As a matter of fact, he did just send me today an estimate for his work.

Back in 2011, he was convicted with some other people of stealing over a quarter million dollars of copper out of a building plus he was also convicted for 6th degree larceny.

So this was done 12 years ago. He has a family now and is trying to make a living. I liked him and I thought his estimate was fair and very professionally done. However, finding all this information out now is troubling.

I know people do stupid stuff and want to turn their life around but knowing all of this information, now, I’m not going to hire him, and I would definitely not feel comfortable, leaving him in my tenants apartment if she is not home.

I feel kind of sorry, as I liked him, and I got a feeling that he was very hard-working and wanting to make a good living for his family, but I in all honesty cannot have him in my tenants house if no one is there

Ken, yes, I got a bad feeling in my stomach when I thought about it and after I found out about him. The funny thing is though, I did look him up on our states judicial website, but nothing came up for arrests. Maybe because the arrest was 12 years ago

All I can say is thank God for the Internet. I sincerely do hope he has changed and is different and it was a stupid mistake. When I met him, I liked him, and I got the impression that he was working hard for his family, however, in my conscience, I could not have him be in her apartment, knowing about his past issues.

Thanks for reminding me

Ed makes 3 really good points.

On one of those points, you can spot the contractors that prefer a gullible customer. All you have to do is start asking a few questions that demonstrate you know at least a little bit about the work.

However, when they hear a few informed questions, they run for the hills.

And let's not forget about what happens when you ask if they have workers comp. They start to get a little scared and then ask you why you want to know.

I am a 40 year long licensed Contractor working with many landlords. Some of them are smart while other are dumber than a chipmunk drunk on Catnip.

Examples please. A landlord needs their apartment painted so they can show it on or before the first. This is the time of the monthly cycle when an old tenant moves out and a new one wants to move in. Like the 22nd of the month to the 10th of the next month.

SO I tell my fellow landlords that I will give them an A++ painting contractor that charges landlords B prices. When they come out and give you a bid, it's either yes, here's the keys and get started ASAP. NOT, I'll let you know in a few days. While the landlord then calls other painters. It wasn't enough that I gave the painter a golden review and told the landlord to get them last to bid so they could hire them on the spot.

My last few jobs fellow landlords hired my painters were disappointed in the quality of the work. BS. Some other painter knocked the work just to get the next job.

My painter scraped, sanded, washed, filled and primed all surfaces. They removed old wall paper and did not paint over it. We used a 3 color plan.

The competition did not wash walls, sand, prime or remove wall paper. They only patched where necessary and put primer only where it had to go. They only used 2 colors.

Many contractors today are handymen who looked around and thought,…..how hard can it be ?.??

There are also legit contractors who couldn’t make a living of it so they now take day work individually as a handyman

A true contractor has business management skills and is smart enough and experienced enough to be able to run his business as a business AND they re making enough Money to pay the bills and stay in business.

If the customer wants and expects a real contractor they have to be willing to pay the cost of the additional overhead.

Many buyers don’t and then complain about the flakes.

I agree about the educated customer making many of these guys Leary. The larger problem I have with these guys is when you tell them you know what you’re looking at and what you’re talking about,……they take that as a challenge and the game is on……let’s see what this guy really knows….

NOw you have become a sparring partner.

I live in a smallish area. A year or so ago I called someone to mow the tree/road lines at a wood lot. Not a lot of work but it needed done. He was to go yet that day to look and get back to me with a price and what day he would do it. Never heard a thing from him. I moved on within a day or so.

Fast forward to last week. I had a company do significant clean up at the wood lot. He told me one of his friends stopped by to see his project and told him he looked to mow the place but said it wasn't a big enough job for him. I paid $50 for what was probably a 15/20 minute job...not counting travel, etc.

I would have understood that he didn't want to do the job. But he apparently was there and looked so why didn't he call or text he wasn't able to accommodate? Responsive and communicative go a long way with me. Now, the guy who mows for my properties is moving out of the area. Let's guess who will not be asked for the big job.

For what my mind terms small/unskilled work, I always work someone or several someones into the mix. Then, when something bigger or more complicated comes up, I have options.

Unless it is a big job I try to get a quote from the probable contractor to do the job. My people know quality and on time are more than a $100 or $200. Give me your best price first I don’t have time to haggle about a price. They all know if something unseen and totally unexpected comes up I will hold them to their original price.

I think Robert Ca and I think alike.

Ken (NY). I went to my local paint store because I needed someone to paint some exterior window trim. This is a three story house and I do not feel like getting up on the ladder that high. I got several cards and came home and fell into my old habit of calling right away to get some appointments, however, I then remembered your words about background checks.

Oh, my! The first person I was going to call, I looked him up on my state judicial website for any arrests.

Lo and behold! Violation of a protective order, strangulation, selling hallucinogenic drugs, failure to appear, etc. etc.

I want to thank you for your wise suggestions. I thoroughly vet my tenants, but not the contractors.

That is no longer the case from now on

SO hired someone to take down trees. I did the research, multiple charges of taking money and not doing the job. SO was with him at each job paying when it was done. Not what I would reccomend but worked for us. Just kept our distance during the work. Ironically had a court date one of the days he worked for us.

The CON in "contractor " should be capitalized. The ones I worked with in the hood were felons. Larger CONtractors joked about picking up new hires at the prison gate.

Well to be totally honest, where I think I could have readily nailed the cost of rehab job before 2019, I am not so sure of myself. OSB that was $10 a sheet went up to $48 here = now its a bargain at $15. Even just plain old PVC, the price has went up eight fold.

Unless it is a specific task that I know like the back of my hand, do I really want to commit to a single price and lock in the rate? How many of these folks do you suppose have been burned by "supply chain issues" or what ever the next cop out will be?

Son20,000 runs a contracting crew. He stopped doing LL projects because they eat up his time wanting quotes, are cheap, indecisive, make changes, want to use used vanities, etc, and sometimes don’t pay.

So I stopped telling them I am a LL.

I REALLY like Ken’s idea to check for home ownership.

It is useful to answer both the questions of cost and deductibility. Costs allow a user to determine a number of things:

- What range of charges are commonly seen in the market, and thus what a judge might allow

- complexity, as cost is often tied to the steps, time, and labor needed. If you are new to a repair, you might underestimate or skip some steps

- how to itemize a repair on a statement. Even if the work were hired out, the repair person will often not itemize to the extent that may be needed in court

- Whether a repair quote from a contractor is out of bounds

Good topic. Good contractors are HARD to find! Many small companies PREFER you to schedule online or thru their website/email instead of me calling and interrupting them on another jobsite. So I try to be cooperative, type up a description of the scope-of-work, timeframe and email a PHOTO so if I am not a match for them we don't waste time and i look to someone else for help. Ask if there is a DAY of the week they PREFER to do estimates on your side of town instead of insisting on your schedule. Many like a morning appt b4 they begin their workday. I find they appreciate this from me. If I have seen their work I tell them which project I liked or a former customer that recommended them.