Why you should use a State Certified Contractor

The first reason is perhaps simplest - If you fail to use a licensed Contractor you have no legal ground. Florida Statue clearly defines that "Any Contract entered into by a contractor not licensed pursuant to Part I (construction) of Chapter 489, Florida Statue, is not enforceable.

489.101  Purpose.--The Legislature deems it necessary in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare to regulate the construction industry.

So here is what the law says about when you should have a contractor:

State law requires construction to be done by licensed contractors. You have applied for a permit under an exemption to that law. The exemption allows you, as the owner of your property, to act as your own contractor with certain restrictions even though you do not have a license. You must provide direct, onsite supervision of the construction yourself. You may build or improve a one-family or two-family residence or a farm outbuilding. You may also build or improve a commercial building, provided your costs do not exceed $75,000. The building or residence must be for your own use or occupancy. It may not be built or substantially improved for sale or lease. If you sell or lease a building you have built or substantially improved yourself within 1 year after the construction is complete, the law will presume that you built or substantially improved it for sale or lease, which is a violation of this exemption. You may not hire an unlicensed person to act as your contractor or to supervise people working on your building. It is your responsibility to make sure that people employed by you have licenses required by state law and by county or municipal licensing ordinances. You may not delegate the responsibility for supervising work to a licensed contractor who is not licensed to perform the work being done. Any person working on your building who is not licensed must work under your direct supervision and must be employed by you, which means that you must deduct F.I.C.A. and withholding tax and provide workers' compensation for that employee, all as prescribed by law. Your construction must comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, building codes, and zoning regulations.

(8)  Any construction, alteration, improvement, or repair carried on within the limits of any site the title to which is in the United States or with respect to which federal law supersedes this part.

(9)  Any work or operation of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature in which the aggregate contract price for labor, materials, and all other items is less than $1,000, but this exemption does not apply:

(a)  If the construction, repair, remodeling, or improvement is a part of a larger or major operation, whether undertaken by the same or a different contractor, or in which a division of the operation is made in contracts of amounts less than $1,000 for the purpose of evading this part or otherwise.

Florida Consrtruction Recovery Fund

489.140  Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund.--There is created the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund as a separate account in the Professional Regulation Trust Fund. The recovery fund shall be funded out of the receipts deposited in the Professional Regulation Trust Fund from the one-half cent per square foot surcharge on building permits collected and disbursed pursuant to s. 468.631.

Buyer Beware !

So here's what you need to know.

1) Check Licenses’! I have provided a link on the right column to check a licenceholder. Check Insurances. Do not accept certificates hand submitted. Anyone can copy a certificate and the only way to know if insurance is in force is to receive a copy of it from the Insurance Company.

2) Check References. Any reputable Contractor should be able to provide you with many satisified customers. Here's an idea- Ask the contractor for an unhappy customer that thy worked to satisfy. Failure to check references is the most common consumer mistake.