Here’s what you get when you hire a licensed painter

I am based out of Utah, and the requirements of licensure might vary state to state, but Utah has some great licensing requirements to really separate the painters who want to do it the right way, and the painters who don’t.

1. Proof of experience

You have to prove that you can paint to get your license. And the state actually takes it one step further. It requires you to take continuing education classes every time you want to renew your license, so that you’re continually expanding your knowledge of your trade.

2. Proof of financial responsibility

The State wants to make sure you as a business aren’t bankrupting every company you touch. As a homeowner, if you hire somebody who is not financially responsible, they might start your project and pull out halfway through because they don’t have any money for payroll. Or the painter might ask you for 100% of the money up front because they don’t have financial resources. It’s an uncomfortable and unfair position for you to be in.

3. Accountability

When you are licensed, any sort of disciplinary action taken against your company is tied to your license. That information is made known to the public on the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing website.

4. Proof of understanding pertinent laws

The painter must understand the laws associated with their trade. For example, there are environmental laws regarding how to dispose of paints and hazardous materials. There are property lien laws. There are employment laws, regarding how to properly pay your employees and make sure that they are protected and you are protected. Very important.

5. Proof of insurance

The state of Utah, for example, requires “a minimum required coverage of $100,000 for each incident and $300,000 in total general liability policy, as well as workers’ compensation insurance.” We as a company have decided to get a much larger policy because we work in nice homes and in nice businesses where $100,000 in the worst case scenario might not be enough to cover the damages. In order to put our customers at ease, we carry a much larger insurance policy. But just knowing that your painter is licensed and he or she does have insurance can put you at ease. That way, if something does go wrong, the insurance will step in and the painter is not going to skip town (at least, he would have no reason to skip town).

We have been in business long enough to see the effects of unlicensed painters. Some that are unlicensed are skilled tradesmen and good painters, but the business side is also important. There have been several situations where another painter has not done the job properly, has cut corners or has skipped out of town. With the job halfway done, we have been called to fix the problem.  It puts you as a homeowner in a horrible position. In most cases you have already paid money to this other painter and now you have to pay us to go in and fix it. It is more expensive than if you would have just hired us in the first place. It is extremely important that you make sure your painter is licensed.