When you are replacing a faucet, installing a new washing machine, or unclogging a sink, if you are not careful, you can cause water damage to a client’s home. Before you start working on any project that involves plumbing, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind.

• Make sure to turn off the water.
• Check for leaks before leaving the job site when turning the water back on.
• If you need to cut into drywall, ensure there’s no piping you can hit with a drill or saw.
• The interior of a home isn’t the only place water damage can occur. It can also happen outside if you’re helping a homeowner with landscaping. If you need to dig in someone’s yard, locate the pipes before starting, so you don’t hit them.

Actions you can take to help reduce your chances of incidental property damage when on the job. 

• Before you start, perform a visual inspection to identify potential hazards and fragile property.

• Move or ask the homeowner to move breakable and high-value items out of the way.

• Cover floors, furniture, and other large items you can’t move with drop cloths to help protect them.

• Pay attention to your surroundings when you move from one part of the house to another, or carry tools and supplies from your truck into the homeowner’s house.

Question: Can you provide an example of Incidental Property Damage concerning a handyman? 

• Example: Say you are installing new shelves in a client’s family room when the hammer slips from your hand, knocking over an antique vase that falls to the floor and shatters. That would be incidental property damage. We all know that accident happens. However, general liability insurance will help you pay for unexpected expenses if you damage someone else’s property.

When you have commercial property coverages, it can help you pay for the following:

• Damaged equipment and inventory
• Lost income
• Operating expenses

For business owners who own or rent physical spaces, commercial property insurance can help protect your handyperson business equipment, inventory, and your building if you own it. If you own real estate where you store equipment, commercial property insurance provides coverage for your handyman equipment while it’s on the premises and for the building itself.

A claim is a demand by an individual or a company for compensation or recovery from a loss that falls under the insurance policy. For example, if you get in a car accident on the job, you would file a claim under your Commercial Auto policy.

Tools and equipment coverage ensures your handyman gear is protected wherever you keep it, such as in your vehicle, in a trailer, or at a job site. If you do not own or lease property and regularly take expensive gear to a job site, tools and equipment insurance for handypersons offers protection against damage or theft. This coverage benefit is available as an add-on to our general liability insurance.

Bundle: When you bundle your insurance, you buy multiple types of insurance, such as General Liability, Inland Marine, and Commercial Auto, from the same carrier.

An amount equivalent to the fair market value of the stolen or damaged property immediately preceding the loss. For real property, this amount can be based on a determination of the property’s fair market value before and after the loss. This amount can be determined by local area private party sales and dealer quotations for comparable vehicles.

When you are wanting to higher a handyman you want to be clear about your budget. There are many situations in which it can be awkward to talk about money. Working with a contractor should not be one of them. Do not be shy when it comes to discussing your budget.

Make sure your contractor knows how low your project budget is. You may want to consider giving them an even lower figure than you can actually afford. Never give them a high-end figure for the maximum that you can afford. This can help you stay within budget even if unexpected costs come up during the project.

Question: How much should a contractor markup materials?

Reply: Generally between 7.5 and 10%: Markups can vary from one contractor to the next and possibly from one project to the next. But as a general guide, the typical markup on materials will be between 7.5 and 10%. According to Corporate Finance Institute some contractors however will mark up materials as much as 20 percent.

Although a 10-20% project cost overrun on a job is normal with even ‘good’ contractors, a 50-100% cost overrun on a job is not normal and could be indicative of a dishonest or bad contractor.

Some cost overruns are normal because contractors must make some assumptions upfront about things they cannot see. It is important to do your home work on whom you think you want to higher check reviews and make sure they are license and insured

When receiving a estimate for a job from a Handyman it is reasonable for the final cost to be anywhere from 5% to 20% above the estimate. That is why it is always important to stick to your budget and account for a bit of cushion before you begin any project.

Whether you choose to charge a client for a cost estimates for a job or not will come with Pros and Cons.

Pros for Charging for Quote/Estimates

• As a handyman you can spend many hours of your time preparing detailed quotations for a new project. Your time is money and you may want to take that in consideration
• There is also evidence to suggest that charging for quotes can actually attract buyers. According to the Association of Professional Builders they found that companies that charge for quotes are eight times more likely to win a job than those that do not
• Charging for a Quote/Estimates will help to avoid people that are just shopping around that really may not have the funds to accually do the work they are wanting to have done.

Cons for Charging for Quote/Estimates

• Charing for an Estimate can put off protenial clients. With a quick internet search you can find numerous results for handymen that do offer free estimates.
• If you are trying to build up your business and need the jobs offering free estimates may help to increase the work you could get otherwise.

When looking for a handyman for a job, most handymen will offer free quotes or cost estimates and charge an hourly rate for nonstandard jobs. It is suggest you get a least three cost estimates to best shop cost and services. Beyond the estimate it help you get a feel for the person that will be doing the job

If you want to be a contractor and have not been licensed within the past five years, you will need to take and pass an exam. The exam will be in the area of construction that you are looking to work in. If you feel that you need a study guide you can purchase online. You can register for the exam over the internet. If you pass the test you can then apply for a license.

You will need to include your test scores, experience and schooling, and any applicable fees. This information will then be reviewed by licensing boards. While you are waiting on this process you will be able to check the status of your application online. Once the application is approved you will be given a license and you will be able to work legally in your area of expertise.

In California, the laws for contractors are very strict. A property owner can get into legal trouble if they hire a contractor that does not have the proper license in California.

If you are a homeowner and work with an unlicensed contractor then you are considering an employer and the working environment for the contractor must be safe. You would need to make sure your home and the project is in compliance with the CA OSHA standards and safety regulations. If an unlicensed contractor is working on the home and they get hurt, the worker may sue the homeowner. This would be a violation of the law. The insurance of the contractor does not cover accidents on the job site if they are unlicensed.

For handyman it is important to know that it is illegal in Florida to do any structural or remodeling work without certification and licensing by the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board.

This includes roof work, demolishing load-bearing walls, additions, and foundation work of any kind. As far as plumbing: Virtually all plumbing work requires licensing. A handyman may add a water filter to a faucet, but even installing a dishwasher is not allowed.

Even if insurance is not required in the state you are in a savvy customer will ask for proof of insurance before hiring you. By not having insurance you are putting your customers at risk.

If something goes wrong and an accident occurs while you are on the job, they could be the ones on the line. They would either have to pay for the damages themselves, file a lawsuit, or check to see if their homeowners policy will cover the incident.

Even if you feel you do not need insurance as a handyman, it is a good idea as being a handyman involves certain risks and requirements that make a specialized handyman insurance policy essential financial protection, and a insurance broker will consider the specific risks you face based on the types of jobs you take when advising you on which policies will best fix you

In Florida a handyman dose not need to have a license. An unlicensed handyman can do the following: install cabinets, flooring, and above ground swimming pools, paint the interior and exterior of a home, perform basic yard work, and repair drywall. More specialized types of work will require a license

In California a handyman can not charge more than $500 for a job. If you do charge more then 500.00 per job then you will need to be licensed as a general contractor. California handymen and contractors are not required by law to carry insurance, although the state license board does strongly recommend it. Though if you have any employees you will need to have workers compensation insurance for them.

Rates per hour will vary and will depend on the Handyman. However, in general a typical hourly handyman rates are between $60 and $70 for independent workers and around $125 per hour for a handyman who works for a company. In an addition an experienced handyman will know how much time it usually takes to do a particular type of job and will charge accordingly.

Here are just a few of the jobs a handyman service can accomplish for you. If you are needing work done by a handyman call and talk over your needs to verify all that they are able to do.

• Leaking Plumbing. There aren’t many things that are more annoying than
• Leaking plumbing fixtures.
• Light Fixture Installation.
• Drywall Repair.
• Fresh Coat of Paint.
• Exterior Upgrades.
• Deck Repairs.
• HVAC Maintenance.
• Flooring Improvements.

When you make a choice to have work done by a Handyman you will want to avoid companies that require large deposits or payment in advance. If the job you want done requires a lot of materials, and the company is responsible for buying them, then it is reasonable to put up a deposit against these expenses.

Otherwise arrange to pay for all work only when the job is done. This arrangement gives you leverage to make sure the work is done properly, and it’s another reason why a fixed-price arrangement works in your favor: A set fee means a company can’t charge for additional hours if it must take extra time to correct errors.