How to Hire the Right Contractor in Los Angeles

Every year, thousands of Los Angeles homeowners lose money — sometimes tens of thousands of dollars — to bad contractors. Abandoned projects, shoddy work, unpaid subcontractors, and outright fraud are more common than most people realize.

The good news: most of these disasters are preventable. Hiring the right contractor comes down to doing your homework before you sign anything.

Here's exactly how to do it.

In California, any contractor doing work over $500 must be licensed by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). This is non-negotiable.

How to verify:

1. Go to cslb.ca.gov
2. Search by license number or business name
3. Confirm the license is active and in good standing
4. Check that the license classification matches the work (General Building Contractor = Class B)

What to look for:

• Active status
• No disciplinary actions
• Workers' compensation insurance on file
• Bond on file

A contractor who can't give you their license number on the spot is a red flag. Walk away.

A licensed contractor should carry two types of insurance:

General Liability Insurance: Covers damage to your property caused by the contractor's work. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance and verify it's current.

Workers' Compensation Insurance: Covers injuries to workers on your property. If a worker gets hurt on your job and the contractor doesn't have workers' comp, you could be liable.

Call the insurance company directly to verify the policy is active — certificates can be forged.

Online reviews: Check Google, Yelp, and the Better Business Bureau. Look for patterns, not just individual reviews. A contractor with 50 reviews averaging 4.8 stars is more trustworthy than one with 5 reviews averaging 5 stars.

Ask for references: Request contact information for 3–5 recent clients with similar projects. Actually call them. Ask:

• Did the project finish on time?
• Did it come in on budget?
• Were there surprises, and how did the contractor handle them?
• Would you hire them again?
• Can I see the finished work?

A contractor who hesitates to provide references is telling you something.

Get at least three bids for any significant project. This does two things:

1. Gives you a realistic sense of market pricing
2. Reveals outliers — both suspiciously low and unusually high

How to compare bids: Don't just compare the bottom line. Ask each contractor to break down their bid by:

• Labor
• Materials (with specific brands and specs)
• Permits and fees
• Subcontractor costs
• Contingency

A bid that's 30% lower than the others isn't a deal — it's a warning sign. The contractor is either missing scope, planning to use inferior materials, or intending to hit you with change orders later.

A legitimate contractor provides a written contract before work begins. Never pay a contractor who won't put everything in writing.

Your contract should include:

• Detailed scope of work (specific materials, brands, finishes)
• Start date and estimated completion date
• Payment schedule tied to milestones (not calendar dates)
• Change order process (how changes are priced and approved)
• Warranty terms
• Lien waiver provisions
• Dispute resolution process

Payment schedule red flags:

• Asking for more than 10% down before work begins (California law limits deposits to 10% or $1,000, whichever is less)
• Asking for large payments before milestones are reached
• Asking for cash only

For any significant remodel or addition, your contractor should pull permits. If they suggest skipping permits to "save time and money," walk away.

Why permits matter:

• Unpermitted work can prevent you from selling your home
• Lenders won't finance homes with unpermitted additions
• You may be required to tear out finished work and redo it
• Insurance may not cover damage from unpermitted work

A contractor who pulls permits is accountable — city inspectors check their work at key milestones. A contractor who skips permits has no accountability.

Pressure to decide immediately: Legitimate contractors don't use high-pressure sales tactics. If someone is pushing you to sign today or lose the deal, that's a manipulation tactic.

No physical address: A contractor with only a cell phone number and no business address is harder to track down if something goes wrong.

Asking you to pull your own permits: Contractors pull their own permits. If they ask you to pull permits in your name, they may be unlicensed or have a suspended license.

Subcontracting everything: It's normal for a general contractor to use licensed subcontractors for specialty work (electrical, plumbing, HVAC). It's a red flag if they plan to subcontract every single aspect of the job and have no direct employees.

Vague contracts: "Kitchen remodel per discussion" is not a scope of work. If the contract doesn't specify materials, brands, and finishes, you have no recourse when they install the cheapest option available.

Asking for full payment upfront: California law limits deposits to 10% or $1,000. Anyone asking for 50% or more upfront is either desperate for cash or planning to disappear.

Before you hire anyone, ask these questions:

1. Are you licensed and insured? (Get the license number and verify it yourself)
2. Will you pull all required permits?
3. Who does the actual work — your employees or subcontractors?
4. How do you handle change orders?
5. What's your warranty on labor and materials?
6. Can you provide references from similar projects?
7. What's your payment schedule?
8. Who is my point of contact throughout the project?
9. How do you handle problems or disputes?
10. What's your current workload — how many projects are you running simultaneously?

A contractor who answers these questions confidently and transparently is worth your time. One who gets defensive or vague is not.

After years in the business, here's what we've seen separate great contractors from the rest:

They communicate proactively. You shouldn't have to chase your contractor for updates. A good contractor keeps you informed before you have to ask.

They're honest about problems. Every project has surprises. A good contractor tells you about them immediately, explains the options, and gives you a clear path forward — not a bill you didn't expect.

They respect your home. Construction is messy, but a professional crew protects your floors, covers your furniture, and cleans up at the end of every day.

They stand behind their work. A contractor who disappears after the final check is a contractor who doesn't believe in their own work. Look for someone who offers a written warranty and is easy to reach after the project is done.

At Artisan & Co., we're licensed, insured, and fully transparent from the first conversation. We pull all permits, provide detailed written contracts, and stay in communication throughout every project.

Get a free quote — no pressure, no gimmicks. Just an honest conversation about your project.