1. Ask this today, word for word: "Send me your standard written contract before we schedule anything." A legitimate contractor already has one. If the answer is "I don't really do contracts" or "we'll sort the paperwork later," the job is over. Stop here.

A contractor who won't put terms in writing before starting is telling you exactly how the job will go when something breaks: there will be no record, no recourse, and no accountability. The handshake isn't friendliness. It's the absence of a paper trail — by design.

The Request Script

Copy this into a text or email and send it before you agree to a start date:

"Before we begin, I need a written contract covering: total price, payment schedule, scope of work, materials, start and completion dates, and what happens if either of us cancels. Can you send that over by [date]?"

That's it. You're not being difficult. You're doing what every commercial client does automatically. Watch how they respond — a pro sends it same-day; a problem stalls, argues, or tells you it's unnecessary for "a job this small."

The size of the job has nothing to do with whether it needs a contract. The smaller the job, the faster a bad contractor disappears with your deposit.— construction dispute mediator

What Has To Be In It Before You Pay a Cent

Do not hand over a deposit until the document contains every one of these. Check them off:

2. Legal business name and physical address — not just a cell number and a first name.

3. License number, printed on the contract. Then verify it. Search your state's contractor licensing board (search "[your state] contractor license lookup") and confirm it's active and matches the name on the document.

4. Proof of insurance. Request a Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming general liability and workers' comp. Ask that it be sent directly from their insurer, not a photo of a lapsed card.

5. Total price and a payment schedule tied to milestones — not dates. "50% on rough-in complete, 40% on inspection pass, 10% on final walkthrough." Never "50% up front." A deposit above 20–30% is a warning.

6. Detailed scope of work. Specific materials, brands, quantities, and finishes. "Install flooring" is not a scope. "Install 340 sq ft of [brand/model] LVP, including underlayment and quarter-round" is.

7. Start date and substantial completion date, with a written note on delays.

8. A change-order clause requiring any added cost to be signed in writing before work proceeds. This single line prevents the most common form of price gouging.

9. A lien waiver clause — the contractor provides waivers as you pay, so a subcontractor they stiff can't put a lien on your home.

10. Warranty terms in writing: what's covered, for how long, and how you request a repair.

The Red Flag In Almost Every Bad Hire

It's pressure to pay in cash, up front, before anything is in writing.

Every version of the bad-contractor story starts the same way: a large cash deposit demanded fast, with a reason it can't wait — a supplier deadline, a "discount" that expires, a crew that's "only free this week." Cash leaves no record. Up front means no leverage. Before writing means no proof of what you were promised.

When you hold your money in escrow and release it only as verified milestones are met, that pressure evaporates — and so does the contractor who was counting on it.