Ever wonder should I hire a handyman or a contractor?

No matter if you are under contact  to sell your home or not you need some work done, some of it is plumbing, a bit of electrical…you know if you call out a plumber and an electrician this is going to cost you some big bucks, so you’re considering hiring a handyman.  Well make sure you know the law and what exactly a handyman can do legally! 

First, understand the differences.  A handyman only has a business license, so he is not licensed through the Registrar of Contractors http://www.azroc.gov/ (this is where you can go to see if the person you are considering hiring is licensed to perform these services). They are allowed to do very minor repairs, like patch a hole in drywall, or install a ceiling fan, change door locks and such things like that.  

Here is the actually Arizona law: 
ARS 33-1121(A)(14) says who is exempt from the requirement of a contractor’s license. There are a lot of people who misunderstand this exemption. 

The exemption applies to individuals who perform minor repairs or installations to do so without being licensed. To qualify for the handyman exemption, the following conditions must be met:

1. The work cannot require a building permit; and

2.  The total cost of the project, including labor, tools and material cannot not exceed $1000.00; and

3. The nature of the work cannot be anything related to plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, structural alterations or anything that is "attached by a nail, screw or other fastening device to the frame or foundation of any residential structure."

The bottom line is that in many cases an unlicensed handyman is not legally able to do much of the repair work called for in the BINSR- (Buyer inspection report)- so should you as the home owner want to use someone that you have no recourse against, if something were to go wrong?   I  completely understand the desire to save a few dollars; however, you are giving up valuable protection if you use unlicensed contractors. 

I hope you find this helpful! J If you are considering selling your home, consider contacting me to help you do it the right way! 

Note- click here to see when you need a building permit http://www.cityapplications.com/building-permits/AZ-Arizona/bldg-Arizona.html

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