Have you been putting off that electrical job? You have to hire a certified electrician, but you’re not sure what questions to ask. In the process of finding the right electrician to hire, you need to do your research and ask some important questions. These questions will help you narrow down your options and help you choose the best candidate for the job.
Do You Have a License?
Electricians working without a license are a major safety and legal concern. To protect the public and your business, it is essential to ensure that all the trades on your projects are indeed qualified for the job at hand. Ask about licenses and certifications as part of your hiring process to avoid liability. Also, it gives you an idea of the experience they have behind their name.
Do You Have Insurance?
As you start to do your research on electricians, one of the first questions you should ask is if they have insurance. You need to make sure that the electrician you hire has enough insurance to cover their work and any mistakes that may happen during the process. The types of insurance required will vary depending on where you live and what laws your province follows. Ask about this before you hire anyone.
Do You Have Any References?
When you are hiring an electrician, it’s important to verify their background and experience. References are usually provided by past customers who are happy with their electrician’s work.
A reputable contractor won’t have any problems giving you references from customers they’ve worked for previously. Having a list of references will prove that they’ve successfully completed similar jobs before.
What Are Your Specialties?
Specialties are very important when hiring an electrician. You need to know what the person is capable of doing, how much work it will take, and if they are familiar with your particular job. A specialist is trained for one particular area of the trade, which makes them more efficient in working with that area. For instance, if you are getting your wire and electrical panel upgraded or repaired, you will want someone who knows what they are doing.
Do You Secure The Permits Needed for the Project?
Electrical permits are expensive. They cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in some areas but applicable codes also change regularly, which means installing an electrical fixture without a permit will void your homeowner’s insurance policy. If you aren’t covered by your homeowner’s policy, you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars.
Do You Actually Do the Work?
One of the most important questions to ask a commercial or residential electrician is if they actually do the work, or do they just hire someone else to do it. Some companies will hire an electrical professional to perform service or repair work themselves, then charge more for this work than an actual contractor would bill. This means that the person performing the work may not have the required license or training to complete the task.
Do You Honor Any Guarantees or Warranties?
What happens if your electrician messes up installing a new circuit breaker box? Are you stuck paying for all the damage, or is the electrician company liable? While not every electrical contractor will offer guarantees or warranties on their workmanship, it’s a good idea to find out if they do, simply for your own peace of mind.
What Work is Required For This Project and How Much will Everything Cost?
Before you can hire an electrician to do electrical work for you, you first need to know what work is required to be done for the project. It’s important that you communicate your requirements and expectations up front so that both parties know exactly what work needs to be done and how much it will cost.
Call to Solve Your Electrical Problems
Whether it’s a faulty wiring system or just a loose light bulb, a broken electrical system is bad news. You need a dependable electrical contractor to fix the problem as quickly as possible. Lumos has been providing electrician services in Ottawa over time, so our experienced electricians know exactly how to find and address electrical issues quickly – even those you didn’t know existed!
So whether you need help installing new lights, upgrading household appliances or providing expert service in your commercial office space, we can help. Contact us today or call us on 613-355-9793 to book a service.
