8 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Electrical Contractor

Did you know that in the United States, there are around 1,000 deaths yearly because of electrical injuries? If you are looking for a reliable electrical contractor to care for your electrical problems, you want to make sure you ask the right questions before hiring someone. Our guide below has the top questions you must ask before enlisting a professional electrician’s help.

Read on to learn more.

1. May I See Your Permits and License?

One of the last things you want to do is hire an electrician that is not licensed and doesn’t have the proper permits to work in your home. This could create a disaster for you if something were to happen.

Because it is easy for anyone to tell you that they’re qualified, you want to ensure they can back up what they say with proof and have no issues verifying the information. You also want to ensure that everything is up-to-date and that they are not working on an expired license.

Depending on the job that your home requires, they might need special permits, so you want to make sure that you check your local state laws to ensure you don’t hire someone that is not qualified legally. When you’re looking for someone licensed, we highly recommend doing a search for “Generac Dealer Near Me” because then you won’t have to worry that they are not licensed.

2. May I See Your Insurance?

Something else that you must have proof of is their insurance in case they accidentally do something wrong. Unfortunately, in the electricity world, many risks and hazards sometimes are unavoidable.

We recommend not hiring someone that has less than $500,000 in coverage. This will ensure that if something goes wrong like your whole home loses power, their contractor liability insurance will take care of it. If someone fails to show you proof of insurance, it is a red flag not to hire them.

3. What Type of Job Guarantee Do You Offer?

Anything with electricity work should come with a guarantee that will give you peace of mind that if something were to happen in a few weeks or months, they would come out and double-check everything. Make sure they don’t charge you anything for coming out on a warranty call.

Usually, these guarantee calls and checks are free of charge.

4. Can You Give Me a Rough Estimate for the Job?

Hiring someone that is within your budget is important, so you want to see if they can give you a rough estimate for the job. It is also a smart idea to gather a few quotes so that you can compare the price differences.

Normally everyone will charge around the same amount, so if you find someone that is charging a lot more than the others, it is a red flag that they are overcharging. Also, if they are a lot lower than everyone else, this could mean that they are not very familiar with the level of work you need to be done, or maybe they are desperate for work for some reason.

5. How Long Has Your Company Been in Business?

The longer a company has been around, the more you can learn about its customer service and what other customers say about it. Remember that just because they are brand new doesn’t mean they can’t do good work, but it is a bit more of a gamble than working with a company that has been around for years.

6. Will This Interrupt My Electricity for the Day?

Depending on your issue, it might affect your power for the day. You want to know this ahead of time if you need to make arrangements for pets, yourself, or others in the house.

Receiving proper notice will make it easier to plan the day, even though it might be inconvenient for everyone.

7. Who Will Be Performing the Work?

Sometimes when you hire an electrical service provider or an independent contractor, they might have someone else do the actual work after they diagnose the issue and give you a quote. Knowing who will perform the work ahead of time will give you time to ensure they provide their credentials and are qualified to perform the work at hand.

Sometimes a Master Electrician will bid and oversee the job but have either an apprentice or a Journeyman Electrician perform the work. If you prefer a Master Electrician to do the work, make sure you are clear about this while interviewing for the right electrician for the job.

8. Do You Use Task Management Software?

Although it is rare to ask electricians this question, it gives you an idea of how organized they are. Anyone that takes the extra step to use some type of management software means that they can generally give you the most accurate bids because they keep better track of everything from scheduling to finances for the company.

Using this will also mean that the job will be done faster, and everyone will be more productive.

Ready to Hire an Electrical Contractor?

Now that you have learned the top questions to ask an electrical contractor, you can feel confident before you make a final decision when hiring an electrician.

Did our article help you out? Please continue browsing the rest of this section for our latest helpful guides.


Yvan Lebrun
Yvan Lebrun

Yvan Lebrun is a trusted expert in the field of product & service reviews. With over a decade of experience analyzing and comparing services online, he shares his valuable experience with readers at GoodSitesLike so consumers can make educated decisions before making a purchase.

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