Having Work Done on Your Home?

 While there are many benefits to owning your own home, it does come with some new responsibilities that aren’t present when you rent a house. When something breaks, needs to be replaced, or serviced, we are all going to have to let a stranger come into our home. Knowing your rights and duties as a homeowner will help you to hire people that are reputable and trustworthy.
The Hiring Process
If you are the kind of person who is willing to pay a little extra to not have the headache of finding, selecting, and paying for serviceperson to come into your home, there are many companies that will find the serviceperson for you. These companies will also carry insurance on the workers they send to you, in case they damage your home or themselves. 
It is always advised that as a homeowner, you do your research when selecting workers. There are several great sites on the internet that will help you with company reviews such as Google, Angie’s List, and the Better Business Bureau. Unless you personally know the worker(s) that are coming into your home, it is your responsibility to vet them before hand.
There are state and federal tax requirements of the homeowner should you hire a worker individually and not from a company. You will need to study all applicable labor laws as well as being versed on worker’s compensation benefits. You can consult the IRS website for more information (www.irs.gov).
Compensating Workers
When working with a company to supply worker(s) they will have a price for services for you to review. If hiring an individual, you will need to be aware of wage requirements of the state and federal government, this would include overtime payments. It is always recommended to have all pricing for services in writing, before work begins.
Risk Aversion
It is highly recommended that you the homeowner consult your homeowner’s policy to find out what kind of coverage is provided for work being done by a serviceperson. It is also recommended that you check with your city and state to make sure you are in compliance should an accident occur with a serviceperson in your home. Knowing what your responsibilities are will protect you from scammers in the event of an accident.