How to Hire a Plumber : A Landlord’s Guide to Hiring Contractors

Hiring contractors is one of the many tasks assigned to landlords or property managers. These contractors can be electricians, roofers, carpet cleaners, or even plumbers. Each one of these contractor’s professions provides a vital service that contributes to the proper management and maintenance of property investments. As you know these contractors are needed, but more importantly, you need to know how to hire the best contractors for your properties. This time we will explore how to hire a plumber.

The simple act of just finding any old plumber is just that, simple and inefficient. Unfortunately your property cannot settle for just any plumber. You want to hire a plumber who is not only great at their job, but also licensed and certified to operate within their state.

Why Hire a Certified Plumber?

In some states a plumber has to be licensed to legally work in your properties or anyone else’s for that matte As with most state laws, the rules and regulations regarding licensing requirements for plumbers can vary widely from state to state. Regardless of the bureaucracy involved, as a landlord you need to ensure that the contractors you hire are legally eligible to work for you, because off something bad happens, you both could be in trouble.

Certifications are different from licenses in the way that, being certified is a metric used to determine if a candidate is qualified to preform a role based on intellect, and skill level.

A certified plumber makes sure to taken the extra steps to ensure that their customers know that they are knowledgeable about the profession of plumbing. Certified plumbers demonstrate that knowledge by having passed an exam proctored by a third party as an indicator of their skill level.

Reliable Contractors

Not only do your contractors have to be licensed and preferably certified, but they also need to be reliable. You are operating within the real estate sector and you need a contractor who is able to accommodate all of your specific property needs. Since we are talking about plumbing, the piping situation could be complex, especially if your properties are stacked apartments, condos, or dorm style buildings. This means that sometimes a plumbing issue may be isolated to one unit or could spread to others due to the inner connections of pipe systems.

The more complex a task is, generally the longer it takes to complete. A great question to ask your plumber before hiring them is, what is the rate they charge for their services. Negotiations could be had to come to a more agreeable price if there is a possibility of a future long term working relationship. You need to establish these terms beforehand, so you aren’t blindsided by a bill you weren’t anticipating and your plumber knows what kind of work schedule they can expect while working for you.

Who Will be Working in Your Properties?

The certified and licensed plumber you might have spoken to when inquiring about their services may not be the person they were planning to send to clear your pipes. Plumbers apprentices, or other non certified employees may be sent in their place, and it’s your job to make sure you know who they are sending and what their skills are. To ensure the most qualified people are working on your investment you need to speak up and insist that only certified plumbers take action or make consequential decisions during your services taking place.

Contractor Assurances

Legally your plumber has to have some form of insurance, but you need to know what is covered in those insurance policies, by asking for a copy of any insurance documentation they may have on file. Individual plumbing businesses may also have additional warranties or service guarantees that they may offer their clients.

Your Best Bet is to Shop Around

Shop around for the best plumbing contractor you can find. They will all offer slightly different services, at different price ranges, but your goal is to sort them out and find the best fit for you. Also you need to do all of this before you actually need plumbing work done. You are contracting out this company and they will be your go to resource for all of your plumbing needs. You need to be on a first name basis with all of your contractors, and they should know you as well. Apartment, condo, or dorm contracts are difficult to come by for contractors so they need to know you are valuable clients and should be treated as such, as a priority.