Homeowner Associations: 5 Secrets to Choosing the right Contractor and Material
#1 Visit their shop or Showroom
You can tell a lot about materials and especially about an installation company by how they keep their offices and showroom – if they even have an office! You don’t want to do a large project with some dude living out of his truck! You can start out by having contractors coming to your office or board meeting, but it is always a good idea to go “kick the tires” so to speak and see who you would be working with if you worked with a particular contractor.
#2 It is imperative that a contractor who works with a Homeowner’s Association has both Workmen’s Compensation AND General Liability Insurance. A copy of this insurance can be provided to you at the bidding process, and before starting your HOA can be listed as an additional insured by the insurance company.
#3 Walk your entire project with your contractor to make sure that there are no surprises. Pay particular notice of things hanging on the fence, special backyard concerns such as pets, sprinklers or electrical to be moved, etc.
#4 Have material samples brought to your board meeting. Bringing material samples to a Home Owner’s Association meeting is a good way to give everyone who wants to have a say in what materials are used, come to a meeting and see the material choices for themselves.
#5 Get references from other Home Owner Associations or Management Companies. A contractor installing a Commercial project is much different than a contractor installing fencing for a homeowner.
