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Things you must know about home improvement contracts

You are a homeowner, and therefore, you know the effect of having home improvements. The usability of your home increases, and you enjoy your home more. Most importantly, home improvements lead to increased value of your home, and thus if you decide to resell, you have a better quote in the market. Some modifications are simple, and DIYers can do them comfortably. These include adding a flower vase at the veranda, some kitchen backsplash, and such simple tasks.

However, it’s only prudent for significant and more sensitive projects to get an expert to do the work at some fee. That way, you transfer the risk to a skilled and experienced professional.

Now, before you engage that expert to make the home improvement for you, you’ll need to sign a project contract.

 This is an agreement between you (the homeowner) and the home improvement company, who, in this case, is the contractor.

The contract details each party’s responsibilities (you and the contractor) and the penalties in case of breach.

A contract protects you from a wrong contractor who may be planning to steal from you and do shoddy work.

Following are some standard sections that need to be in that document

The parties’ agreement portion

Remember, it’s a legal document that is binding, and therefore the parties involved must be clearly stated. There should be a portion that covers the company’s name taking up the contract and against that the proprietor or directors must sign as a show of commitment.

Detailed scope of work

The second aspect that must appear is the scope of work that the contractor will be doing. This can be a separate document or attached to the contract. It stipulates who will be doing the work, the design, and everything that the contractor is supposed to accomplish within the specified time. That way, you can cross-check when the work is done and ascertain that it’s achieved to your satisfaction.

Change orders

Before you sign the document, you should ensure a portion for the change of orders. Those are sections that show what happens when either party wants to amend some details like timelines, materials used, and any other modifications. If you don’t sign against that, a crooked contractor may amend things to favor him and thus disadvantage you.

Licensing and registration

Under this section, the contractor confirms that they have proper company registration and licenses to do home improvement work. Registration certificate ensures that you’re dealing with a registered company that is licensed to do business in your jurisdiction like https://www.promain.co.uk/metal-paint.html .

. If you ignore that part, you may end up working with a fraudster, and in case you’ve complains, you’ve no recourse.

Insurance

Any contractor you hire must have comprehensive insurance that covers unintentional damage and injury of employees. Getting a contractor without the proper insurance would mean in case your property is damaged, there’s no compensation, and you’ll be liable to compensate any worker who gets injured or dies while on your premises.

Before you append your signature, you must go through it to ensure it’s perfectly detailed. That way, you’ve something to fall back on if you’re not satisfied with the contractor’s work.

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