The Penalty of Hiring Unlicensed Contractors in Los Angeles

It’s important to know that hiring an unlicensed contractor is absolutely illegal in all states. Individuals contracting in California without their license will face a large fee of $5,000, or could end up spending half a year in jail.  In addition, the consumer may also serve jail time for hiring an unlicensed contractor. The California state law mandates all construction jobs that cost $500 or more for labor and materials must be handled by a licensed contractor. There are several reasons why it’s not a great idea to hire unlicensed contractors in Los Angeles.

Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Hire Unlicensed Contractors in Los Angeles

If at any point an unlicensed contractor gets injured on your property, they have the right to sue you. Majority of these illegal contractors are not covered by insurance. The good thing about these contractors is that they come at a cheaper price; however there also comes a greater risk. The risk factor is that if a worker that’s hired by an unlicensed contractor gets injured on the job; the property owner could be liable, which will increase their insurance premiums.

Another reason why it’s not good to hire an unlicensed contractor in Los Angeles is because they do terrible work. There have been complaints from people that the contractors would benefit from the property owners, but they would barely do any work. For instance, a family hired a contractor to remodel their house. The project was to be completed within a year.  However, two years had gone by and the work was never finished. There were areas in the house that still had broken walls and ceilings, along with construction tools left inside the house. The workers never came back which caused the family to hire another contractor.

Sometimes ads that offer extremely cheap estimates can be a little sketchy. At most cases a full payment in advance might be required when it comes to these cheap estimates. It’s best recommended to not go for these offers because there have been incidents where individuals have been scammed. For example, an unlicensed contractor may demand the money in advance and never show up in your front door again.

It’s easy to find unlicensed contractors in Los Angeles. Their goal is to utilize the cheapest means to market themselves, which could be from a newspaper ad, or even business cards that are left inside stores. It’s also important that a licensed contractor must have their license from the same state of where the work is to be done.

How to Find Licensed Contractors in Los Angeles

You should make sure that you do your research when hiring a licensed contractor in Los Angeles. It’s better to be safe than sorry as the penalty can be severe in the long run. A great way of hiring a licensed contractor is by contacting past clients that can edify you to them. It’s also recommended to have an attorney review the documents before signing the agreements. Once you’ve figured out a licensed contractor, you can learn about general contractors in Los Angeles.

5 Star Construction
5150 E. Candlewood St. Unit 14-B
Lakewood Ca, 90712-1927

Phone: (562) 912-3328
Phone: (562) 866-7022
Fax: (562) 724-6140
Email: staff@fivestarcalifornia.com