Contractors - Red Flags?

4 years ago

Hi All,

Just wondering... what are your list of red flags when hiring a contractor?

I am now in the process of renovating my bathroom. In compiling the paperwork for the coop, I asked the contractor to furnish a copy of the licenses of the plumber and electrician who will be completing the work.

The response was: " In terms of our subcontractors, if licenses are to be provided, we'll need to add permits to the job."

This does not make sense to me? Why would you pull a permit if the building hasn't required this? When we completed the paperwork for our kitchen renovation, only after the coop reviewed the scope of work did they ask to pull permits.

I feel they are not telling me the truth and passing some cost of business fee over to me as the homeowner. When I got on a conference call with the contractor and his administative person, they still did not really clarify why we were pulling permits. Mainly, they explained that their electrician and plumber would not want to provide a copy of their license without filing a permit as they do not want to be held liable and have their license on the line. Again, this does not make sense to me. So the logic is, everytime you are asked to furnish a copy of your license you must file a permit? Not all jobs require permits. In fact, the building asked us to pull an electrical permit which resulted in reversing the permit as the building was not up to code and would not pass inspection if we did not proceed with a very expensive upgrade to our electrical. Also, on this same call, the contractor asked the administrative person what type of permits are usually filed for electrical and plumbing. Shouldn't the general contractor know this?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Kate

Featured Answer

User

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Of course the cost of doing business is paid by you. That’s how it works. Permits are REQUIRED. Period. It doesn’t matter what your building says. If they want to be scofflaws, that will come back and bite them.

Your design and specifications should make it up front clear that permits will be pulled by anyone who is considered for the job. It sounds like your specifications were not clear on that front end requirement. And it sounds like there are multiple building violations that should be brought up to code. That’s a big issue. And it’s the cost of living where you do that . Yes, it will cost major money to have done. It is what it is. And it should happen. Whether or not the building wants it to.

If the job design and specifications are clear up front, then the only license and insurance information that you need before you sign is the GC’s. Its in the contract that the permits will be pulled and all work will be performed by licensed subs. So, that information will be on the publicly posted permits that are required to be obtained. You don’t need additional copies of that.

This whole thing sounds backwards and not well documented. That building also sounds very very sketchy. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere that someone asked you to “reverse” a permit. If that’s even possible. Normally, it isn’t. I’d be among the first calling the inspectors to have them inspect the building’s electrical. What you describe is unethical, unsafe, and illegal. If you agreed to that, then those adjectives describe your job too.

You chose to go down that rabbit hole. It’s too late to reverse your decisions and not pay the consequences of them. You either do it right and pay the consequences, or be one of those trying to sweep substandard work under the carpet and into the next owner as “grandfathered” work when it is nothing of the sort.

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Comments (6)

thinkdesignlive
4 years ago
Agree^^^and remember the inspectors are there for YOU to make sure the work is performed correctly. Don’t be afraid of permits be afraid of those that avoid them.
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greg_2015
4 years ago
A red flag is when a contractor DOESN'T get a permit or tries to convince you that you shouldn't get a permit. Not the other way around.
User
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Just to be clear I am just prepping the renovation paperwork to the Coop. Therefore, they haven't yet reviewed and asked to pull permits YET. Although I anticipate they will. I just found it strange that they want to pull permits only when I asked them to provide their licenses. I am just unclear why it is an issue for them to provide me a copy of their license??

A couple of questions:

1. Not all work requires permits? If it is a minor upgrade, a permit is not always required?

2. Based on the scope of work, they did not price out the permits. Of course I will pay for the permits. I did on my kitchen renovation. Only when I asked them to furnish a copy of their license did they say we needed to pull a permit. Otherwise, they wouldn't have unless the building asked them to? Maybe I am just really confused and not explaining this so clearly....

3. Yes, the electrical issue in my building is an anomaly. It's not necessarily UNSAFE. It was just that it was not upgraded and not up to RECENT code. There was a whole thread discussed about this. Not sure what else to say...

@GreenDesigns - I am unclear as to why you are so aggressive about your conclusions. But, thanks anyway for the feedback.
jmm1837
4 years ago
It shouldn't be the co-op that decides whether you require a permit; it should be the city. If you're doing major changes to plumbing and electrical, you are probably going to need them to do those changes legally. But that could open up a can of eorms for the co-op.
Helen
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I think something is getting lost either between you and the contractor or your post on the Board. I live in a condo and lived in a coop in NYC and am familiar with permits and Boards.

If you are doing work such that a licensed plumber or licensed electrician is needed, you need to pull a permit. I assume the scope of the work isn't just hanging a pendant or changing a switch plate.

Does your Board require that you submit a copy of the license with your application? Maybe it's a chicken and egg thing but until you have signed a contract with the GC they don't submit anything. It seems as though you are requiring the GC to submit licenses for work which they haven't yet been hired contractually and officially to do.

In my building, once I signed with the GC, I then submit his license and insurance information. My building requires that all work be done by licensed plumbers/electricians and with appropriate permits.

Perhaps if you would explain how your building approves construction, things might be clearer. In my building, it's pretty pro forma in terms of approving normal remodeling unless people want to do something impacting the structure like moving pipes or relocating plumbing. In that case, we generally have plans pre-approved by a third party expert.

Right now, neither the process nor your explanation of it makes sense.

Contractors - Red Flags?

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thinkdesignlive

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