Electrical work comes with owning a home, and sure, you could take care of some of it. Despite what others may have told you, most people can change your own light bulbs, but many projects may require a licensed electrician.
However, there is a lot of other electrical work that may require enlisting the services of a licensed electrician. You may have a friend who can help, but is it really worth risking the safety of your home and family over saving a few bucks?
So when you do need to bring in a professional near Mulberry or Lakeland, how do you determine who is good and can be trusted in your home? Here are six tips that will help you select the right team.
Look For A Business That Feels Like A Business
If you are going to use a professional, you want to look for someone who actually runs their business like a business. For electricians, this means being licensed, bonded and insured. What do each of these mean?
Every professional electrician must obtain a license from the state to offer services. The three primary licenses include journeyman, master electrician, and electrical contractor. Each of these signify the professional has passed an exam comparable to the license and also has a minimum number of related experience hours.
A company who is bonded means they have a type of insurance that guarantees the work of the professional. If some damage or injury occurs as a result of the work, you can file a claim against the bond to cover the costs.
General liability insurance covers things that happen during the project. Let’s say an electrician gets injured on the job. If the company is not insured, that person can come after the homeowner for the injuries.
These three together really help weed out the professionals from the hobbyists.
Licensed Electrician Qualifications & Certifications
You should also review any special qualifications and certifications the company has obtained. These are in addition to the state required license. For instance, many electricians become Diamond Certified, which signifies they are committed to the highest standard of customer service.
Who Is Doing The Work?
You also want to know who is going to be doing the work, and what kind of screening they have undergone. This is important for a couple of reasons. First, you want to be sure the professional has undergone a background check so you know you are not inviting a criminal into your home.
Next, you want to know if the company actually employs the electrician who will be in your home, or if they contract the work out. There is a growing practice of “shell companies,” or those who offer contract services and then send it out to their network of contractors. Another growing practice is for legitimate companies to contract out extra work when they are overbooked. Either way can affect the quality of the service you receive.
Do Your Research
After looking at licenses, insurance, and certifications, the next best thing to look for is reviews. Sure, you can look at community boards and get recommendations. However, looking at actual review sites like Home Advisor or Angie’s List will also give you a good sense of the quality of the work and service provided.
As you do this work, you should look for some negative reviews, being no business is perfect all of the time. When you find them, you want to look for how the company has responded. This tells you more about the integrity of the company than does a list of perfect 5-star reviews.
Read the Fine Print
You should have an agreement with your electrical contractor to outline the work that is going to be done. This is especially true if they are doing install work rather than maintenance work. In this agreement, you want to look for pricing, warranties and guarantees, as well as clauses for what may increase the price.
Your agreement should also specify be when the work should be completed, especially if the project is something that will take several days to complete. In addition, you want to look for terms about how the work will be handled if there is a delay of some form. Essentially, you want to ensure you do not end up at the back of the line if there is a delay.
How Will They Work with You?
How will the contractor work with you to complete the service? This is especially important if you are doing some form of installation work, like lighting or other fixtures. Are they going to purchase the fixtures on your behalf, or will you obtain them? If you are getting them, when do you need to have them by? These are all important questions to have answered as you look for the right licensed electrician near Lakeland or Mulberry to meet your needs.
Your Next Move
You should always contact a licensed electrician whenever you consider upgrading or repairing anything electrical. Electricity is nothing to play with, and attempting to fix a problem on your own could worsen your issue or create a bigger problem than you know how to fix. When it comes to installing dedicated circuits, you want to make sure the process goes smoothly and causes no issues.
At D.O.C. Electric Inc., we have the know-how to assist you. We’ll send out a professional electrician to help you figure out which appliances deserve dedicated circuits so that you can configure the electricity of your home more efficiently and logically. To get in contact with an electrician today, contact us, and we’ll help you get your circuits sorted out.
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Thanks for mentioning how you can get a good sense of an electrician’s work quality by checking reviews sites. There is something wrong with the wiring in my house, so I need to hire an electrician to fix it. I’ll be sure to check online reviews beforehand so I can find a skilled and reliable electrician.