Hiring a contractor for a rental? 4 checks before work starts

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Hiring a contractor for a rental? 4 checks before work starts

Leo SteinBusiness Member
Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 278 posts · 59 votes

Before hiring a contractor for a rental repair, here is the short checklist I run every time:

  1. Look up the license. Check it on the CSLB (Contractors State License Board) website before you hire, not after.

  2. Get insurance on file. Ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts, so you are not sorting it out after something goes wrong.

  3. Get it in writing. Scope of work and price, written down, before anyone picks up a tool. It heads off most "that was extra" conversations.

  4. Keep the receipts. Before-and-after photos plus the invoice go in the rental file. Handy for deposit disputes, warranty claims and tax time.

General information, not legal advice.

For those who self-manage: what else is on your checklist before you let a contractor into a rental?

[email protected]949-391-1019
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  • Randy Schell
    Member since 2026 · 276 posts · 40 votes
    1d

    Good list. One thing that has saved people a lot of grief is snapping a quick photo of the wiring or plumbing before the drywall or flooring closes it back up, since that is the part everybody wishes they could see later.

    Randy, Bunklow

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  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 278 posts · 59 votes
    1d

    Thanks, Randy. That is a smart one, since drywall and flooring hide exactly the parts everyone wishes they could see later. A dated photo also gives you a record if a question comes up down the road. Do you ask the contractor to send those photos, or do you take them yourself on a walkthrough?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 521 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
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  • Jen Prestia
    Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2026 · 5 posts · 2 votes
    15h

    Solid checklist. One thing I add after the COI lands in the file is writing the expiry and renewal date on a calendar the same day. Getting it before work starts is the right gate. Keeping that date visible is what makes the gate still work next year when you hire them again.

    Same habit for the license lookup. I jot when I last checked it so I am not guessing months later.

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  • Rosina Persaud
    Member since 2023 · 113 posts · 26 votes
    12h

    Good list, Leo — the license, insurance, written scope, and photos are the right basics.

    The piece I would add is timing. We do not find a contractor when something breaks. We find and test them months before, in small paid steps, so the first time we rely on them is not an emergency. A small repair first, then a turnover punch list, then bigger work if they show up, communicate, and finish clean.

    That matters because turnover and vacancy cost more than most repairs. When a house sits empty waiting on a contractor we have never used, the rent loss adds up fast. We run a 21-day scheduling system for rent-ready turnovers, and it only works if the contractors are already tested.

    Who do you call first when a turnover needs work on short notice?

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  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 278 posts · 59 votes
    9h

    Good addition, Rosina. Testing vendors in small paid steps before a turnover is a strong way to avoid paying vacancy while learning whether they show up. For short-notice work I start with a vendor already tested on that property, then keep a backup by trade and a written scope with an approval cap. What lead time do you build into your 21-day schedule for a vendor who fails?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 521 Reviews
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  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 278 posts · 59 votes
    9h

    That is a good extension of the same gate, Jen. Writing the license and COI expiry dates on a calendar when they arrive turns a one-time check into a recurring control. Do you track those dates by vendor, by property, or both?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 521 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
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