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Whenever it comes to home projects, it is common to find a helping hand to get the task efficiently done. Considering that this is not the first time of having one such task requirement, it is obvious that you must have heard about a handyman.

A handyman’s job is to come to your home to perform those tasks that you had no idea of how to perform. The biggest reason to hire such a person is that you end up paying nearly half the money and time than what you would pay to a contractor.

Thus, it is wise for you to look for handyman services near me on Google or Bing. However, it is a fact that even such services can be a part of some scam. The issue is not that such service providers exist but it is the lack of knowledge people have for finding a genuine and reliable handyman.

The scammers then get a chance to take advantage of this gap and impersonate a business digitally by creating fake websites and providing fake referrals and contact information. So, how do you know whether a handyman who has come for repair or improvement work is a genuine one or not?

You need to ensure this, right? For that, you need to know the signs of a dishonest handyman. Let’s take a look at them so that you do not become a victim of any kind of fraud while hiring handyman services.

More Than Standard Advance Payment

It is perfectly fine for a handyman to ask for some advance payment. When you pay it, the handyman is assured that you are a genuine house owner and she or he can start the work. However, it is a warning sign when that advance amount asked is more than 1/10^th of the total cost.

A dishonest handyman services have a bad intention of asking such a huge amount and then run away without completing or getting started with the assigned work. It is also not common to ask for a higher price even before starting the work.

No Written Contract or Scope of Work

A genuine handyman will always be happy to start the work with a written contract as well as the scope of work. Without these two, this professional will not like to proceed further. The scope of work will clearly define the amount of work to be done along with their costs.

With this document in hand, you do not have to face the risk of counterfeit materials and inferior work quality. It is important to insist on the scope of work in writing, as it will tell you that the lower price offered is far less than the projected price. If this is what you find, it is a red flag of welcoming low-quality products.

Non-licensed Handyman

It is always beneficial to hire a licensed handyman, as doing so protects you from incurring more money when there is some property damage or an injury. Your home insurance is less likely to cover house damages due to the handyman’s unaccomplished work.

Unlicensed handymen do offer cheaper prices but that masks the fact that they do not have a license. Thus, it is wise to not enter into any deal that an unlicensed handyman offers even though it is tempting.

High Alteration Cost

Most projects, during its lifespan from the starting to the end, will not be without the homeowner demanding a few modifications. These can be as easy as changing the paint color. The fact here to know is that a few of them can demand more money due to more effort involved.

Thus, it is wise to ensure to specify how this will be handled in writing in the contract. Indeed, the contractor should let the homeowner know upfront of any extra cost that can come up due to these changes. It should be ideally known before the project starts.

Thus, if you have agreed on $1000 and the contractor charges you $2000, it is a sign of a scam. Just reject the deal instead of kickstarting it.

Please Keep the Low Price as Secret

Another indicator of a probable scam is when the handyman services proposes a special low price but asks to let it be a secret. In that case, even if you are on a tight budget, it is wise to leave this handyman and look for another. When the secret price is too low, it indicates that the handyman is planning to leave your work without completing it.

Similarly, be alert if the handyman is offering a too high price than normal. Asking you not to open your mouth is a clear sign of blindfolding you from comparing other offers in your neighborhood. Thus, it is wise not to take this deal.

No Measurements or Calculations

An illegitimate handyman will not be willing to measure the work done or calculate the exact prices of raw materials to be used. Such a handyman services near me is likely to bid without any cross check and will say that we had charged previously this rate for a similar job done before and so will charge you the same.

This indicates that the handyman is just not experienced or does not want to quote the existing market prices as per your requirements.

Untidy Presentation or Tools

It is said that the first impression is the last impression. Well, this applies to even handymen while performing business transactions. Unprofessional or poor appearance, inferior equipment, not well-maintained vehicle are usually the signs of unreliable companies.

You may expect that a good company will have better tools, maintained vehicles, and neat uniforms. However, this is not always true. Rather, how well a handyman presents will tell you how capable he or she is in fulfilling your requirements.

Less or Restricted Time

If a handyman nags to enter into a contract immediately, it is a sign that there is not enough time with him to complete your work. Any trait of hastiness is an alarming bell.

Conclusion

These dishonest traits simply tell you to say ‘No’ to that handyman deal. So, just look for the opposite traits.