Some people don’t mind the odd DIY job around the house and find it relaxing, Others, however, act like they have two left arms even when they’re confronted with a simple job, like fixing a squeaky door. There’s nothing wrong with hiring a tradesman when you’re not up to the task, but you need to observe certain precautions when bringing a stranger into your house, especially if the job will take many days or weeks.
Here are the main documents you need to ask for when hiring a tradesman.
Do they have the right qualifications for the job?
Take, for instance, the squeaky door mentioned above. You don’t really need a carpenter for the job, any experienced tradesmen will do.
How about changing the light fixtures all over the house or installing a new kitchen oven? Such jobs require a professional. If the squeaky door isn’t fixed that’s only a mild annoyance, but messing around with electric wires or gas pipes can set the whole house on fire.
When you need a professional, make sure to ask about their qualifications. They must have taken a course and in some cases they should be part of a professional tradesmen association.
If you hire a team to redecorate the whole house, ask them about their work expertise. Check out their website, if they have one, or ask them to provide before and after photos of their previous jobs.
Are they willing to submit to a background check?
When you bring a stranger into your house it will only take them a couple of hours to locate the valuables you have lying around and learn how they can get inside when you’re not at home.
Worse than that, you don’t want a convicted sexual offender around your wife or children.
If that tradesman will be around the house for a while you need to make sure they’re a decent person. You have every right in the world to protect your house and your family so don’t be afraid to ask if they’re willing to submit to a quick police check.
A decent fellow will surely understand your concerns and they will agree to a background check if they have nothing to hide.
How can I ask my tradesman to do a quick background check?
Good tradesmen are hard to find and they tend to be very busy. You don’t want to inconvenience them in any way so you can propose an online background check from services like ANCC with the following web link: www.australiannationalcharactercheck.com.au that provides an online service. All you need is a smartphone to access the landing page of an online background check service. You can fill in the details and upload a photo in just a couple of minutes, while you share a beer with the guy.
The results come back to your email in 1-3 business days and if everything looks OK, you can sit down and talk business.
If a tradesman won’t agree to a background check that doesn’t bother them in any way and it’s you that’s paying for it, you’ll have to assume they might have been in trouble with the law before, in which case you don’t want them around the house.
