Maybe you just realized your contractor license is past expiration, but you\u2019re still completing a job. Maybe you\u2019re taking on odd jobs here or there and the classification of your contractor license doesn\u2019t actually cover that category of work. Maybe you\u2019re just curious — Will the people who hire you check up on the validity of your license? Can they even check?<\/p>\n
Yes. Clients can and will check to ensure that their contractors and their licenses are in good standing \u2013 and why wouldn\u2019t they? Wouldn\u2019t you do your due diligence if you were spending thousands on a new home or millions on an office?<\/p>\n
Your clients will 100% check your license, so you need to be prepared to keep your license up-to-date\u2026or failing that, do what you can to fix it. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n
One of the first things your clients will do while hiring you is to check the validity and current status of your contractor’s license.<\/p>\n
The client is looking for certainty and safety. They want to know that the significant money they are investing into their construction project is going to be put to good use by someone who knows what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
In their minds, the outcome of their construction project depends on you and the entire contractor team being fit to work and in good legal standing with the state of California. Not only are they looking to make sure that you\u2019ll deliver a good product, but they also want to know that they\u2019ll be safe living and working in the house you built \u2013 two things that are verified by a license.<\/p>\n
Not having a valid license will not only scare away potential clients who would much rather go with someone legitimate and licensed, but it will also lead to severe criminal penalties should you take on jobs over $500 without a license.<\/p>\n
The state of California does not mess around when it comes to unlicensed contracting. Get a license, or don\u2019t even think about doing construction. It\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n
You can always count on clients visiting the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) website<\/a> to check the status of your license. And it makes sense too, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n With the CSLB being the governing body responsible for issuing and regulating whatever contractor licenses you hold, they\u2019re likely the first and only place someone might think to search for and verify<\/a> the documents you hold indicating that you\u2019re eligible for contractor work.<\/p>\n Since anyone can and will check your license at any time, thanks to the magnificence of the internet, it\u2019s more important than ever to maintain your license and make sure you\u2019re in good standing with the CSLB.<\/p>\n Clients will always do their diligence when it comes to construction projects. If that\u2019s surprising to you, you might consider another field of work.<\/p>\n People will naturally want to make sure the hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands, or hundreds of millions of dollars they\u2019re investing in their construction project are being invested wisely and carefully.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the 5 main things they\u2019ll look for.<\/p>\n Verifying the validity and current status of your California contractor’s license is often a client\u2019s first step toward building trust in you and your work.<\/p>\n While it can be tough to keep renewing licenses and applying for additional licenses depending on the nature of your construction projects, it\u2019s worth it if it means retaining clients and maintaining your reputation as a reliable and capable contractor.<\/p>\n As a contractor, your reputation is everything, and like it or not, a valid contractor license in good standing with the CSLB can make or break your reputation immediately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Maybe you just realized your contractor license is past expiration, but you\u2019re still completing a job. Maybe you\u2019re taking on odd jobs here or there and the classification of your contractor license doesn\u2019t actually cover that category of work. Maybe you\u2019re just curious — Will the people who hire you check up on the validity … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,220,124,71,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-construction-technology","category-contractor-business","category-contractor-jobs-2","category-cslb-news","category-industry-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Do Clients Check to Decide if You\u2019re a Safe Choice?<\/h3>\n
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\nYour business card, website, wherever you advertise your services, or even your licensing documents themselves are a few places from where a person hiring you will grab your license number. Once they have that info, they will run a check on the CSLB website to see if you\u2019re legit.<\/li>\n
\nOne of the most obvious things that clients will look at when validating your qualifications is your previous work \u2013 especially previous work that is similar to their current project.<\/li>\n
\nContractors \u2013 and people in general \u2013 first look to references from people they know and trust. As you grow your career, your network and references will grow, creating more opportunities and building your reputation in your niche.<\/li>\n
\nA professional website is essential to creating a positive, professional impression on your potential client. There\u2019s no excuse to not have a simple, beautiful website in 2024. Sure, it\u2019s easier to not set up a website, but you\u2019re just leaving money on the table.<\/li>\n
\nThe folks hiring you want to know that you have valid worker’s compensation insurance coverage. They\u2019ll want to be sure that they are not liable in case of injuries to you or your employees while you complete their construction projects.<\/li>\n
\nOf course, they\u2019ll want to check reviews and the personal testimony of previous clients. How did you do? How was your rapport? Clients work to gather insights and impressions to get a sense of what it might be like to work with you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nConclusion<\/h3>\n