When you need your heating, ventilation, or air conditioning system replaced or repaired, in most cases you will need to hire an HVAC contractor who is specialized and licensed to work on the equipment in your home. An HVAC contractor should be properly trained, insured, and have certifications that comply with professional HVAC procedures in addition to other qualifications. Continue reading to learn how you choose an HVAC contractor to work on the system in your home or office.
Step 1: Ask your friends, family, or neighbors for HVAC contractor referrals.
- When you speak to others for referrals, ask about the situation that required them to seek an HVAC contractor in the first place. This will give you a better idea regarding whether that specific contractor will best suit your needs.
- Ask them about their experience, were they on time, clean, friendly, knowledgeable? Did they explain everything in detail and do a thorough job?
Step 2: Determine if your HVAC contractor candidate has the proper licenses and certifications required by the local area or state in which you reside.
- If you are unsure which licenses and certifications contractors are required to have, you may want to find out by contacting a local building department or government official in your local area.
- Ask the contractor to show you copies of their current licenses or certifications.
- Make sure your contractor has worker’s compensation insurance in the event they are injured on your property.
Step 3: Choose HVAC contractor that is insured so you can financially protect your home from damages.
- Make sure the contractor has a large enough policy to protect your home or office, just in case a disaster were to happen.
- The bottom line you can never be too safe, accidents happen and you don’t want it to cost you money.
Step 4: Verify whether the HVAC contractor has a decent rating and low volume of customer complaints with the consumer affairs organization in your local area.
- Visit the better Business Bureau ( BBB ) website
- Look at online reviews, Google, Yelp, are a couple of good ones yo look into.
Step 5: Ask your HVAC contractor candidate for references of past clients they have performed work for to gain feedback on their work performance.
- You may want to research your HVAC contractor or their business to seek customer testimonials and other types of feedback.
Step 6: Choose an HVAC contractor who is willing to inspect the system in your home before providing estimates.
- HVAC contractors should look for air leaks, measure airflow, and inspect your insulation to make sure all components meet HVAC guidelines and manufacturer’s specifications.
Step 7: Verify that the HVAC contractor will provide you with details on the service in writing or in the form of a contract.
- Important details to ask for all work in writing. Make sure everything is clear, dates, cost of all fees, labor, and equipment specifications. Potential future fees such as upgrades, and payment due dates.
These are some important steps to hiring the correct HVAC Contractor. I may also note that you are typically going to get the best one on one service with a smaller family-owned and operated company. To these companies you matter, you’re not just a number.
