Testing contractors in small paid steps before the emergency
Member since 2023 · 137 posts · 38 votes
Testing contractors in small paid steps before the emergency
11 Replies
- Lender · Boynton Beach, FL · Member since 2026 · 217 posts · 88 votes1d
Rosina, this is exactly how it should work.
I see the other side of it on the lending side — when a borrower doesn't have a tested contractor, the whole rehab timeline falls apart. The draw gets delayed, the inspection fails, the contractor goes quiet, and then the loan is sitting there burning interest while nothing gets done. Your point about vacancy being the expensive part is so true. A bad turnover that drags an extra two weeks costs way more than whatever you saved trying out a cheap contractor on a big job. The small paid test is smart because you're not just testing the work, you're testing if they show up, communicate, and come back if something doesn't hold. That's the stuff you can't tell from a bid. I tell new investors the same thing — build your bench in the quiet weeks, because when you actually need them, you don't have time to vet anyone.
- Member since 2026 · 287 posts · 43 votes1d
A contractor who calls back is worth keeping in the rotation.... I’d note the kind of job they handled well too, so when something breaks you know who’s proven for that repair and who’s only done a small test.
Randy, Bunklow
- 1dLeo SteinBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 288 posts · 65 votes
One thing that's helped us: ask a new contractor to send a quick before-and-after photo and a short note when the job is done. How they handle that small stuff tells you a lot about how they'll communicate on a bigger turnover.
Real Property Management Optimal 521 Reviews - 1dDivin KanyamaBusiness MemberAccountant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2025 · 684 posts · 287 votes
This is the right approach, @Rosina Persaud. The small paid trial is the only vetting that tells you what a reference call cannot: how someone behaves when they have no reason to impress you yet. I use a similar process, and I would add a few things to the front end. Before the first job, I confirm their license and insurance (general liability and workers' comp, or a signed waiver), and I ask for one reference from another landlord or property manager rather than a homeowner, since rental work is a different pace. I also pay close attention to how they quote. A clear, itemized quote that matches what I described tells me they listened, and a vague number or a rough guess tells me they may not manage a job well.
On the first jobs, I score the same things you do, plus whether they leave the unit clean, send photos without being asked, and fix a callback without an argument. I also give new contractors a job where a no-show is annoying but not costly, so a failure never turns into extra vacancy. The best sign for me is how they handle a problem. Every contractor eventually runs into something unexpected, and the ones worth keeping tell me early, offer a plan, and do not disappear. Once someone passes a few small jobs, I move them up to turnovers and try to keep a backup for each trade, so I am never dependent on one person when something breaks.
My rule is small, paid, and easy to judge. A good first test is a contained repair with a clear pass or fail, like swapping a faucet, fixing a running toilet, or replacing a garbage disposal. It tells you whether they show up on time, communicate, leave the place clean, and charge what they quoted, and if it fails you are only out a small job. I ask the same few questions on every walk: what is the fix, what could go wrong, what does it cost, and when can you do it. Then I check the repair about 60 days later to see whether it actually held, because a fix that fails in six weeks is not a fix. The vendors who pass the small test get the bigger calls, and I keep one short sheet per vendor with what they do, what they charge, and whether they call back. That sheet matters more than any single job.
- Member since 2026 · 19 posts · 4 votes8h
Rosina, I do the same thing at a much smaller scale, and it has saved me more than once. My first job for someone new is always small, paid, and easy to judge, like a running toilet or a lock change, never a job where a tenant is waiting without water or heat. Before they start, I write down the scope in plain language, the price, and when I expect photos of the finished work. Then I watch the basics you named: did they arrive when promised, did they tell me when something changed, and did they leave the place clean? I pay the same day the job checks out, because I want to be the landlord good vendors answer first. I also keep a short note for each vendor with what they did, what it cost, and whether I would call them again, plus one backup for each trade. If a small repair fails within a month, that tells me more than a perfect quote ever could. Building that bench slowly is the only way I stay calm when a real emergency hits.
- Contractor · Scotrun, PA · Member since 2026 · 22 posts · 2 votes7h
Rosina, this is exactly how a good bench gets built — and from the contractor side, the owners who do this are the ones we answer first when an emergency hits.
The small paid test tells you the four things that matter: do they show up when promised, do they tell you when something changes, do they leave the place clean, and does the fix hold 60 days later. A reference call cannot tell you any of that. Leo's photo point is a good one too — a before-and-after photo and a short written scope on a small job is a fair test, and it protects both sides.
One addition from our side: keep one backup per trade, and note the price you paid for that small job. When the next job comes in at twice the price with no explanation, you have a record to compare against.
Gelu Mergl · All Building Services LLC — Apartment turns & inspection repairs for property managers · renovatemyapartment.com · Since 1985
- Investor · Huntington, WV · Member since 2026 · 22 posts · 4 votes6h
Rosina, your three checks are the right ones, and I would add one more to the first job: do not release the payment until you have the photo of the finished work in hand. A faucet swap or a lock change is easy to judge from a photo, and making the photo the trigger for payment is what turns a small test into a real test. The other thing I would keep is a short note per contractor after each job: did they show up on time, did they tell you when something changed, and did the work still hold up two weeks later. That note is what lets you compare two people fairly instead of relying on memory when a pipe bursts at night. With 236 doors, most of them Section 8, the expensive part is exactly what you said, a turnover that drags, so the bench matters more than any single repair.
We fixed this — it's called Rehab Money Shield. Won't you come try it out?
- Property Manager · Melbourne, FL · Member since 2019 · 561 posts · 189 votes5h
I'd add the access handoff to that small-job test. Working with vacation rentals, I care about whether someone confirms arrival, tells us if the job will overrun, and leaves the property secure and ready for the next person. A technically good repair still creates work if the manager has to chase those details. I'd write those expectations into the first job brief so the contractor knows exactly what we're evaluating, then ask what they need from us to make the visit go smoothly.
- Member since 2026 · 77 posts · 26 votes4h
This is the right order, and the part most owners skip is writing down the pass mark beforehand. Decide what good looks like: showed up on time, called if delayed, left the place clean, sent before and after photos, and the work held two weeks later. If any of those fail, the test failed, even if the price was low. Pay fast on the small jobs. The good contractors remember who pays on time, and that is what gets you a call back when a pipe breaks. Keep a note per contractor: trade, small job price, date, and whether they passed. That price note stops the next quote from drifting up without a reason. Build one backup per trade while things are quiet. A bench of one is not a bench. When the first choice is busy, the second one should already know your houses and your lockbox routine.
- Member since 2023 · 137 posts · 38 votes4h
Daniel, that's the piece I should have spelled out — the pass mark written down before the job starts. We score the same things you listed: showed up on time, called if delayed, left the place clean, sent before-and-after photos, and the work held two weeks later. If any of those fail, the test failed, even if the price was low.
Your note per contractor is exactly how we keep it honest: trade, the small-job price, the date, and whether they passed. That price note stops the next quote from drifting for no reason. And one backup per trade is the bench — when the first choice is busy, the second one should already know our houses and our lockbox routine. Thanks for adding this.
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