10 Questions That Catch a Bad Contractor on the First Phone Call

You don't need to hire a bad contractor to find out they're bad. Most of them tell you on the first phone call. You just have to know what to listen for.

I've consulted on enough blown projects to see the pattern. The homeowner liked the contractor. They seemed professional. The quote looked reasonable. But if they'd asked these 10 questions on the first call, half of those disasters never would have happened.

These aren't gotcha questions. They're basic professional standards that any legitimate contractor can answer in 30 seconds. The ones who stumble, dodge, or get irritated are showing you exactly what the job will look like.

The 10 Questions

1. "What's your state license number?"

Not "are you licensed." Everyone says yes. Ask for the number and verify it on your state's licensing board website before they come out for a quote. Takes 90 seconds.

About 23% of contractors operating after major storms are unlicensed. In normal times it's lower, but it's never zero. An unlicensed contractor means no regulatory protection if things go wrong.

2. "Can you send me your certificate of insurance before the estimate?"

You want general liability AND workers' comp. If a worker falls off your roof and the contractor doesn't carry workers' comp, you're looking at a claim against your homeowner's insurance. I've seen that happen twice in the last year alone.

The certificate should come from their insurance company, not a document they created. Call the insurance company and verify the policy is active. Contractors let policies lapse more often than you'd expect.

3. "How long have you been doing this specific type of work?"

Not "how long have you been in business." A general contractor might have 15 years of experience but only started doing bathroom remodels six months ago. You want experience in the specific scope of your project.

4. "Can you give me three references from jobs completed in the last 6 months?"

Last 6 months, not "references." A contractor coasting on a great project from 2019 might be running a very different operation today. Recent references tell you about the current crew, current suppliers, current attention to detail.

Actually call them. Ask one question: "Would you hire this contractor again?" The pause before the answer tells you everything.

5. "Do you pull your own permits?"

The right answer is yes, always. If they say "permits aren't required for this work," verify that independently. If they say "we can skip the permit to save you money," hang up.

I put together a free checklist that covers all 10 of these questions with the specific answers you should hear (and the red flags to listen for). Grab it here.

6. "What's your typical payment schedule?"

You're listening for milestone-based payments. "10% deposit, then payments at material delivery, rough completion, and final walkthrough" is a good answer.

"50% upfront" is a bad answer. It means the contractor needs your money to fund the job, which means cash flow problems, which means your project gets deprioritized the moment a bigger job comes along.

7. "Who will actually be on site doing the work?"

Some contractors sell the job and hand it to subcontractors you've never met. That's not automatically bad, but you should know. Ask if the person you're talking to will be the project manager. Ask how often they'll be on site.

The worst scenario: you hire Contractor A, and Contractor B's crew shows up. Different people, different quality standards, and Contractor A takes a cut for doing nothing.

8. "What happens if we find unexpected issues during the work?"

You want to hear "written change order before any additional work." That means they'll document the extra scope, the extra cost, and get your signature before proceeding.

If they say "we'll figure it out as we go," that's how $12,000 projects become $18,000 projects.

9. "What's your warranty on labor?"

Materials usually have manufacturer warranties. But the labor, the actual installation, is where most problems surface. A contractor who stands behind their work offers at least a 1-year labor warranty. Two years is better.

No labor warranty means if the tile starts cracking 6 months later because of a bad thin-set application, that's your problem.

10. "Can you walk me through your quote line by line?"

Save this for when you get the written quote, but mention it on the first call. "When you send the estimate, I'll want to go through it line by line." The reaction tells you a lot.

A professional says sure. A contractor planning to pad the quote suddenly has a scheduling conflict.

What You're Really Doing

These questions aren't about getting perfect answers. They're about watching how the contractor responds to basic accountability. Someone who gets defensive about showing their license or flustered about payment terms is going to be a nightmare when something goes wrong mid-project.

The good contractors actually appreciate these questions. They've been competing against unlicensed, uninsured operators for years. Your due diligence helps them.

If you're about to call contractors for any home project, download the free Contractor Defense Checklist first. It has all 10 screening questions printed out (so you can literally read them off during the call), plus the quote audit system and contract clauses that protect your money. Download it here.

I share quick contractor vetting tips on X. Follow me at @beforeyouhire23 for the short version.