I write a lot of different articles that surround the plumbing and heating industry and quite often I will mention how important it is to ask a lot of questions before contracting company to complete work on your behalf however I recently realised that I hadn’t actually given any indication on the best type of questions to ask and so I thought I would take the opportunity in this article to list a few of the questions along with the reasons for why they are so important.
Are you Insured?
This one is pretty obvious but to state the obvious, if something goes wrong whilst a contractor is working on your property then you need to be sure that the cost of rectifying that if you will be covered by their insurance company. It is therefore important that you check that they are fully insured and if you would like to take it one step further you can contact the insurance company to verify that the policy is currently active.
This may sound a little over the top but you will be thankful that you went the extra mile if any problems should arise.
Do you have Any References?
There are many websites that released clients’ testimonials for a number of construction companies including those in the plumbing and heating field however as with most things on the Internet the results here can be a little bit distorted to say the least. By requesting details of individual clients and speaking to those people on a one-to-one basis you will be able to get a much better feel for the contract and much better feedback on the work they have previously completed.
Do you Offer an Emergency Service?
When you choose a plumbing and heating company there are chances that you will stick with them for as long as they continue to do a good job and it is therefore important that they offer an emergency service in case of any major issues with your plumbing and heating system.
What are your Specialist Areas?
Plumbing and heating is of very general term and many companies will focus on specific parts of it. You want to make sure from the outset that the company you are dealing with specialises in residential plumbing and heating rather than commercial and also that they focus on the specific areas for which you require their services.
Are you Registered with Gas Safe?
Gas Safe is specific to the UK however there will be similar bodies that regulate the plumbing and heating industry in different countries. Anyone who completes plumbing and heating in the UK needs to be registered with Gas Safe and you can also verify their registration via the Gas Safe website.
As you will see, these are all pretty easy questions to answer and any reluctance to answer them should raise a red flag against a particular plumbing and heating company. Always remember that it is your home and your money that is at risk and therefore you have every right to perform due diligence in order to protect them.