Each year across Florida, countless homeowners hire contractors to perform home repairs after a hurricane has passed. While there are many trustworthy contractors out there who do a good job, there are just as many bad ones who rush in to help. While there’s no one approach to use to pick a reputable contractor, the more boxes that they check off your list, the better their chances are of being someone who does a job right.

One of the first steps that you should take when you’re deciding between different contractors is to ask to see their portfolio. This will give you an idea of the quality of their work, yet it won’t tell you much about problems customers have had with them. By asking for references, you’ll learn a lot about their work ethic and how they resolve conflicts.

You should make sure that your contractor is licensed and insured and that everyone who will be performing work under them will be as well. This is the best way to ensure that all work will be performed to code. You may even ask your contractor if they intend to take out a home warranty for potential construction defect exposures or find a comparable policy yourself to protect your financial interests.

It’s always important that you have a written contract with any contractor that you do business with. The more detailed the contract is, the better it is for all parties involved. It should specifically list timelines, materials that will be used, how you expect them to perform, what the budget is and whether there’s an allotment for incidental expenses. You and your contractor should document any and every change and sign off on it.

A Florida contractor who takes time to photograph or take video footage of the progress on your Melbourne home is ideal. One who takes regularly documented trips to check on the repairs is also more apt to make sure that quality work is done than one who maintains a more hands-off approach.

If there’s one thing that consumers should know about the construction field, it’s that pursuing legal action can get costly, especially the more subcontractors that are involved and the more extensive the damage that’s been done. When you’re looking to manage costs and achieve timely results, it’s a construction litigation attorney’s knowledge and experience that makes a difference.