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Whether you have an asphalt or concrete driveway, you will need to provide pretty constant maintenance attention if you’re going to avoid the bigger repair jobs. Indeed, before even beginning to talk about how to go about enlisting professional help for driveway repairs, this is one of the most important things to get out of the way.
Parking Lot Pros, experts in asphalt parking lot repairs, among other things, advise that regular maintenance (on a yearly schedule, at least) is the best way to look after a driveway and to be able to make small and effective repairs yourself. However, sometimes the big jobs need to be done and the professionals called in.
At this point, there are a lot of things to consider. Whether you have a concrete or an asphalt driveway, however, is actually the least of those woes. Although the process of repair can be quite different between the two, most paving companies will be adept at both. Far more important in fact is to avoid getting ripped off. We have all heard of cowboy builders and the endless trashy television shows about the home nightmares they wreak upon unsuspecting customers. Unsurprisingly, cowboy driveway repairers exist too, and you need to know how to avoid them.
Vetting a Driveway Repair Firm
Untrustworthy contractors are definitely out there and on the lookout for those with driveways in states of terrible disrepair to prey upon. Perhaps driveways in a bad state of disrepair are indicators of the type of neglect and lack of diligence that makes for an easy target for scammers. Whatever the reason, this is a definite risk and so it makes a great deal of sense to vet every contractor or firm you turn to. The question is, however, how do you do this?
You might be wondering how you – hardly an expert on these matters – can be aware of the signs that a contractor is not to be trusted. Luckily, there is plenty of advice out there to turn to and ways you can properly vet a contractor. Here follows some things to look out for. If you notice that any of these apply to your potential contractor, then it’s time to get suspicious:
They Are Not Insured
Without insurance for the firm actually paving your driveway, any accidents that occur will be blamed on you. It is easy to see how a scammer can use this legal technicality to make some ill-gotten gains at your expense. Always ensure they are insured.
They Insist Upon Cash-in-Hand
This is big no-no. It might be tempting and appear exceptionally fuss-free to hand a wad of bills to a contractor and have the job done with, but this essentially makes the contractor unaccountable, to either the taxman or to you. This means you have precisely no legal recourse if the job is poorly done.
They Ask for Advance Payments
Another thing you should insist upon is that the contractor does not ask for advance payment. It is obvious why, if they insist upon advance payment (especially if its cash in hand) then the scammers have, in a sense, already won. A good contractor will never insist upon this or, if they do, they will be able to offer assurances that work paid for will be work done.
Conclusions
It is impossible to list all the things that might tip you off to a sketchy contractor, but these are certainly the main ones. Do your research, apply these criteria, seek professional advice, and even trust your own instincts. Then you should be able to ensure that everything remains above board.
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